Chasing your tail .. and getting bitten

Sometimes life gets frustrating for no good reason.
I have waited patiently for the wood strips to arrive for my boat project.

In the meantime I have been dabbling with various other ideas for projects which could run concurrently to the boat project since the boat is really a long term thing.
First off, I must repeat that the space I have is really limited and the boat will take up a great deal of it. For that reason I have been trying to decide if I should make tackle some of my other ideas first.

I need to make a second dog kennel for selling. This will not take very long, but it's a project that would be completed with more ease, if the boat forms are not yet installed on the strongback and taking up two thirds of the garage. Material needs to be ordered if I go ahead with this idea.

A friend caught up with me a few days ago and wants a custom piece of furniture. If I can complete this project to satisfaction, there will be an order for two more immediately, with the possibility of more orders after that. I think this project has serious potential and am waiting for the customized draft plans for the piece before I can proceed with it.

This led me to buying a book which has a plan similar to the custom piece my friend wants. The book has been tempting me for a while and I just needed a reason to buy it. Now I have the book, for a good reason and amongst other things, there is a beautiful plan for a dining table... for which I have some lovely wood for a top.
I think I must make such a table.

There.
So much to do.

1. Boat
2. Dog Kennel
3. Dining Table
4. "Custom" furniture order (more about this later)

So my strips arrive on Thursday. This is nine days after delivery was due, but as I said earlier, I waited patiently.
The strips are beautiful and I am very happy, but they never sent the two sapele mahogany boards that I ordered with the strips. I thought I had more mahogany strips than ordered, so I figured they cut strips from all the planks, instead of saving two.
On Friday I went to the lumber merchant to get clarification.
When I got there, the guy who always helps me, rushed to tell me that he had my two planks and they were due for delivery again that same day. Ok, cool! (They've not been delivered - apparently I can now expect them on Monday. Tuesday will be fourteen days after the original promised delivery date)

So since I was already at the lumber yard, I bought a little extra wood for legs, rail and support framework for the dining table project.
One of the lumber yard customers approached me, asking if I could make him a special wine-rack. I gave him my cell-phone number. Seems like I get approached for things from all quarters.

Whilst busy selecting wood, waiting for the planks to be trimmed and planed, I got distracted and "lost" my cellphone.
We called it from the office, it rang to voicemail, then when it was called again it was switched off. It's nowhere to be found - so it's undoubtedly been pilfered.

It's such an inconvenience. 6 years worth of numbers and contact details gone. I cannot get a replacement until Wednesday at the earliest, but I'll try to get my existing number...
My wine rack customer is probably calling me and wondering why I never answer my phone.

If the Mahogany planks were delivered as they should have been, I'd never have been at the lumber merchant on Friday afternoon.
The boat already has a sad memory attached to it. :(

Lumber ordered .. now the wait.

I went to my local lumber merchant on Friday and ordered the lumber for my boat. It's getting delivered, so hopefully it will be here tomorrow (Tuesday).
In preparation to mill my own strips I decided to spend money on a new saw blade which has a thin kerf. (Kerf: a groove or slit in material caused by cutting) This would waste 2mm per cut, instead of 3mm. Since each strip would be 6mm thick, this means an extra strip per each six cut strips. Nice!

Planks from which strips will be cut are generally 150mm-200mm wide, they are around 25mm thick and vary in length from 3m to 4.8m. The strips need to be approx. 19mm wide, 6mm thick, by the length of the plank (preferably 6m - but this is not available).
This picture gives you an idea of how the strips are milled from a plank.


This milling operation has been really stressing me. It's a huge task to accomplish alone, when you are lacking a lot of tools to help ease the job.

A 3m long plank must be fed into the table saw, keeping the plank tight against the fence, maintaining a steady speed, and the same plank must be caught at the outfeed side, together with the strip which has been cut.
Space is my primary concern, but the amount of noise I would generate would be a second and valid concern too.

When I got to the lumber merchant, the man helping me, milled some sample strips. I was dumbstruck, since the lady on the phone told me that it was impossible for them to mill the strips.
Anyways, after seeing this, I went straight to the lady and requested that the wood I order be milled into 6mm strips. Since I showed her the sample strips, she happily agreed. Wow. How nice is this? I'll be getting my strips delivered (together with a few planks which I need to custom cut) with no further work required.
I walked out of there with a huge smile on my face.

Oh, and least I forget, the wood I ordered was Obeche for the main body of the boat and African Mahogany for the accent strips, for the keel, king plate, gunwales, seats, etc.
I am fairly certain that there will be no problems with the mahogany. As far as the Obeche is concerned, I am hoping for the best since I have no idea if this will be acceptable. Personally I see no reason why this wood is not going to work just fine for the task I have in mind for it.
I spent a good part of three months looking for help regarding which wood I could substitute for Western Red Cedar, which is the designer recommendation. Obviously I need a substitute which is readily available in South Africa. The only cedar I found here, are short planks of 2.4 meter length and horrendously full of knots. It is my layman's opinion that every single strip will crack at a knot, somewhere along it's short length.
Looking for advice has been an absolute dead-end.
I have written to numerous people and requested advice. Of all the people I wrote to, I received two one-line replies and the rest never bothered to answer. I wrote to a boat designer, a naval architect, an expert woodcrafter who claims to have learnt his craft in the boating industry, a few lumber mills, a specialist in lumber procurement and a company specialising in supplying the marine industry, amongst others. I also posted in forums, one specialising in wooden boats and never got any advice from there either.

So, at the end of the day I am left to my own devices, having to make choices based on my limited knowledge. Hopefully I can come up with the right combination of choices, build my boat, and end up being able to pass along the advice to the next guy looking...

Forms - backbone of the cedar strip boat.

I received the plans for the Rangeley 17' Lake Boat on A1 sheets.
In total there are 16 forms and a transom, and these must be anchored onto the strongback after they've been cut. These forms form the skeleton around which the cedar strips are aligned. Once all the cedar strips have been placed and attached to each other, the forms can be removed.

The plans for 8 forms are on one sheet. In addition it's only half the plan, as the plans are symmetrical around the centerline.
In order to cut the forms I needed to transfer the plans to 16mm MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) also known as Supawood.

Taking 8 sheets of A4 carbon paper, I glued the edges together to create a larger sheet (approx A2 size).
I made two of these sheets.
One sheet is placed face down, in order to transfer the plan to the wood when traced over.
The second sheet is placed face up, when doing the original half of the trace, in order to transfer the plan to the back of the original plan.
This original plan can then be flipped over, aligned with the half that's just been traced, and then the second half of the plan can be traced to the wood.
It's tricky to get everything aligned. Be patient and take care in getting everything in place.
Carbon paper is not your friend, it wants to roll up into tight cylinders. Use wooden offcuts to keep the corners flat.

Creating full size plans of the forms, each on a separate sheet paper would be preferable. Glue these sheets to the MDF with normal aerosol spray adhesive. At over R500 for printing costs, I decided I'd stick to tracing.

Subsequent to doing my tracing of the plans, I was told I should have used a tailor's pattern wheel . This leaves small holes in the pattern and in the wood. Coloured chalk on the back of the plan prior to the trace will leave the holes in the wood with a chalk outline, making it more visible. This would probably have been faster than my shaky old hands trying to trace the curve of the hull ... SIXTEEN TIMES !

I used a jigsaw to cut the forms after I completed the tracing.
I cut slightly proud of the lines, leaving approximately 1mm on all edges. This extra was sanded back with a random orbital sander. A bench sander would be good for this job, but I do not have one, so I made a temporary jig to create one. More about that in a later post.

Since the forms are 16mm thick and I have the plans traced to one side, when I sanded I bevel-sanded so that the other face of the form is slanted away from where my strips will touch the form.

Here are two pictures of what the forms will look like once they are attached to the strongback. ( I did not spend the hours required to draw the exact shape of the hull into these forms, but you will get the general idea)

From the rear...
EDIT: - it is interesting to note in the picture above how the forms are not "fair". A “fair” hull is one with no dips or bumps in the longitudinal lines of the hull. As I said earlier, these forms are drawn merely for purposes of giving you a visual of forms on a strongback and do not conform to my hull's shape. I'll post real photo's when I get the forms onto the strongback.

From the side...
I have completed the cutting and sanding of my forms, but not yet attached to the strongback. I need the space.
Tomorrow I will go shopping for lumber to mill the strips needed to build this boat. I have to mill these planks into strips before I can start. That means I need about 4m infeed and 4m outfeed at my table saw to complete the job. It's going to be tight.
I will only attach the forms to the strongback once all that is done.

How to build a STRAIGHT strongback.

All Materials used in the building of my strongback are my measurements and are not standard. You can use whichever lengths you can get.

Overall measurements for my strongback are 5400mm long, 204mm wide, 200mm high.

Since the longest single piece of lumber was 3000m I had to join various lengths of various materials together. Joins were staggered in order to maintain a semblence of rigidity.

Materials Used:

1. 4 x 22mmx44mmx2800mm Meranti planks (#1)
2. 4 x 22mmx44mmx2600mm Meranti planks (#2)
3. 6 x 12mmx200mmx1800mm Plywood board (#3)
4. 4 x 12mmx180mmx2400mm Plywood board (#4)
5. 2 x 12mmx180mmx600mm Plywood board (#5)

Taking two #4's and one #5, lay them end to end in a straight line.

From an edge that is known to be straight, draw a CenterLine down the length of each board.
Using a 2m aluminium straight edge ensure that your boards are laid out STRAIGHT.
I took care to ensure I had a straight edge on each of these boards and that they were cut to equal widths. Thus both left and right edges lined up straight with the straight-edge.

Using one #1 plank and one #2 plank, line these up along one edge of the boards.
Attach these with wood screws every 20-25cm. Ensure these planks are flush to the edge.

Repeat this process for the second edge of the boards.

Ensure that your CenterLine remains straight during this whole process!!!
Note: Bearing in mind that your planks could be warped slightly, compromise on the edge flushness, but not on your CenterLine. If the CenterLine is straight, the board edges will align straight too.

This complete side becomes a "bottom". Duplicate this to create a "top".

Using three #3's, enclose one side as shown in the following picture. Try to ensure that your edges remain flush.
Remember that every time you attach a new board, use the straight-edge (clamp it into postition if you have to) to ensure you have everything STRAIGHT.
Check and double check straightness at every opportunity!!! Once you have screwed in wood screws, it is difficult to re-align a board. You will be moving screws to new holes, leaving old holes all over the place.

Now, using three #3's enclose the last open side of the strongback.

And there you have it.
It sounds simple.
It is simple.

But it's even easier to get it slightly skew. And once you have something skew, the end result is skew and everything escalates from there until you have something that you cannot work from.

Take care,
Measure everything,
Measure again,
Be patient.

Building a Strongback for the Stripper

The strongback is the foundation upon which the cedar strip boat, canoe or kayak is built. These are commonly called "Strippers". There are different variations of strongback for different types of boat. My strongback is simply a long "box" with legs, above which the forms will be attached.
The strongback needs to be straight and level. Accuracy in this step will ensure that the boat will be built on an accurate foundation.

Here is what the strongback should look like when complete (without it's legs).
Since the longest piece of plywood available is 2440mm and the longest "stringer" length is 3.6m, I need to create joins all over the length. These joins need to be staggered to preserve rigidity.

So easy ...
... or so it seems.
Simply buying plywood, having it cut to size and slapping it all together is no guarantee that you will end up with a straight strongback.
Ask me, because I did it.

1. I had the two plywood sheets (2440mm x 1220mm) cut into strips of 200mm x 2440mm each (twelve strips).
2. I bought the straightest meranti "stringers" (22mm x 44mm x 3000mm) that they had. The pine was so crooked, that the 20% extra price of the meranti seemed a bargain. Even so, the meranti planks were definitely not straight.
3. Figuring that I would "pull" the meranti strips straight by ensuring they mount flush to the edges of the plywood sheets was my intention. I did this with both the sides.
4. Then flush-mounted the covering sheets on the top and bottom, closing the box.
   

I ended up with a mess. On the best "face", the curve in the box meant that from one end to the other, the "Centerline" curved by 30mm.

Firstly, the suppliers did not square the sheets properly before cutting. I did not check this, I assumed they would do a good job since they cut wood every day, all day long.
Secondly, of the twelve sheets, three sheets were "curved" along the edge. Perhaps this picture explains it best as I do not know the terms used to describe this type of flaw.How on earth do they cut like this? That saw they have is so amazing, I cannot imagine how skilled you need to be to get a cut like this. *cough*
This is the main cause of the "bend" in my strongback.
Thirdly, whilst I asked for sheets to be cut to 200mm, some sheets varied from 201mm at one end to 197mm at the other end of the sheet.
Fourthly, neither of the ends of the sheet were squared. When you lay them end-to-end you will never get them aligned straight unless you leave gaps.

So unless I have equipment to do the cutting myself, I am at the mercy of having to deal with "substandard" lumber.

I am now in the process of fixing the strongback.
I have had to resort to purchasing one extra sheet of plywood to replace the rounded sheets. I cannot fix them on my table saw because I am just not equipped with proper fences and slides. If I build a holding jig I would probably be able to fix the curved sheets, but that would mean buying a sheet of plywood to build a jig. Catch 22.
This 3rd sheet I had cut whilst I "supervised" the cutting to ensure he did what I wanted. (The cutter was not very happy with my interference but I had permission from the manager).
Still I have to rely on substandard materials, but with these lastest boards, I have enough straight pieces for two sides. Together with the best of the "substandards" I am confident I can fix the strongback.

My strategy is slightly different this time.
Each "side" of the strongback is made up of either 3 or 4 boards of 200mmx 12mm plywood (varying lengths to ensure staggered joints).
This time I have a center line marked on each board prior to fitting.
I am using a 2m long aluminium straight edge to align the edges of these boards before any screws go in.
Clamp them in position, screw it tight. All edges flush (or as flush as I can get it).
Checking squareness and level, after every screw goes in. It's slow ... painfully slow ... and my back hurts, but if it ends up with a square strongback, I will smile.

I cannot yet say this will resolve my issue, but thus far things seem to be straight and I am 2/3rds done. I hope for the best.

Which Boat to Build?

This is something that I have really spent a great deal of time over.

Most people would know what use they intend to put the boat to.
I do not.
The main purpose for me right now, is the build itself, more than the end use of the boat.
The ideal situation for me would be to build the boat and sell it, before building another boat. I need to keep busy and will not be able to afford building a second boat if the first is not sold. But that is all in the future. In the meantime I need to build.

After looking at hundreds of boat plans, there are a few favourite plans which I would have no problem attempting. Let's have a look...


1. Flats Flyer. This is a beauty from Glen-L. I would make a few deck changes to create the front half of deck to be like bassboat, with a smallish wet-deck style at the rear. Would need to decide if I also make a center console or bass-like cockpits/seats.
This really is a build that could end up with an exciting boat - for bass fishing and also usable in the estuaries and inshore coastal reefs along the coast.
To build this boat I would need more space - double garage at least.



2. Ragtime. A Grande Olde Lady from Chesapeake Marine Design! He-he, I like this boat very much. Much more sedate than the Flats Flyer, yet elegant and classy. I can imagine many countless hours spent building this beauty, choosing wood, sanding, polishing - endless attention to detail, will ensure a masterpiece. How can you not love it? This boat would adore Knysna lagoon or Gamtoos river.
At 21' - to build this boat I would need more space.



3. Lobster Boat 26. The largest boat on this list and is from the Bateau stable. Very stylish compared to the majority of plans available to the amateur boat builder. A hard top, seating in the cockpit or even cabin changes can all be accommodated with careful planning, making this a very versatile boat. Day cruising, weekender or a plain ole fishin' boat - makes yer choice!!
At 26' - to build this boat I would definitely need more space. Being designed for an inboard is a second inhibiting factor as the cost of new inboards are close to R100k right now. You just cannot put a secondhand into a beaut like this.



4. Ocracoke 20. This is a WOW boat from B&B Yacht Designs. For offshore and estuary fishing, it's going to be a dream. Great lines, give you a boat that is going to look good and get appreciative comments. Comfortable fishing, light and economical. I think this would make a perfect boat for a quick Sunday run to the fishing grounds.
To build this boat, I would need at least a double garage.



5. Outer Banks 20. Although I find this to be a strange name, it's definitely a beauty. Also from B&B Yacht Designs. Spending time on the estuary or lagoon in this boat is simply going to be a dream. Build this boat with care and attention to detail, fit it out to your (and the missus') fancy and it will be like being in 5-star luxury all the time. You'll probably need a few "DO NOT DISTURB" signs to keep all the fans away when you want to catch a mid-morning nap. This boat was designed for "every-weekend-on-the-water".
To build this boat, I would need more space... again at least double garage.


So after all this, you can see that I am in a conundrum. I do not have space to build any of my favourites. Either I wait until we find a place with some space, which could take a while, or I compromise for something smaller.
I cannot wait. I am too impatient. When I decide I want to do something, I need to get a move on.
So I made a compromise.
I'll build a boat I can
a. afford,
b. fit into the garage,
c. practice a lot of new techniques on a cheapie.

The Rangeley 17

Small enough - to fit into my single garage. Just!
Pretty enough - I might just find a customer for it.
Useful enough - I could end up using it without any problem. Imagine fitting this with a small torqeedo electric motor and trolling a lure behind you as you cruise up and down Gamtoos river. You'll pull out a few huge cob. Near the mouth you're liable to hook elf or garrick too.

I will keep posting regarding the building of the Rangeley.

Build a boat

I have decided I want to build a boat.
I was sitting at home with nothing to do, bored out of my mind, just surfing the internet looking for something that I can do when I remembered my boat of many years ago. I decided to have a look for plans and the search opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
There are many places selling plans for the amateur or first-time boat builder. Some such places are Glen-L and Bateau.

My largest obstacle to a project such as this is the limited space I have available. Most of the beauties which I have seen and would like to build, require an area that is larger than the single garage I have available at the moment.
For now I will find something small, which will mean I can fit into my small space, as well as use it as a learning opportunity. In the meantime we can try to find a place with better space.

Since the primary goal is to build the boat, I am thinking of building and selling to finance a second build, but obviously that will depend on if the first one floats or sinks.

I'll go into detail on which boat plans have caught my eye later.