Wooden Boat Sailor

Bon voyage

2006-08-04T06:33:00.000-05:00

With the first official sail last weekend of Fuggles, the purpose of this blog officially comes to a close. About nine months ago, I stumbled on a web site for a small company called Chesapeake Light Craft and was instantly intrigued by the collection of small wooden boat kits they had to offer. It wasn't long before a collection of parts arrived in a shipment at my door. This blog has detailed the conversion of the oddly shaped pieces of plywood into a beautiful wooden sail boat. It has been a wonderful experience for me. Since I started out with virtually no woodworking skills, it is a pleasant surprise to end up with a product that I can be so proud of; a true testament to the Passagemaker's designers and all the people at CLC. You can view a short slide show of the building and launch of my boat here.

Where to go from here? I had considered maintaining this blog as an online log of various cruises of Fuggles. But I think those will be better placed over in the Passagemaker dinghy forum. Why not go over and join the small but growing group of Passagemaker enthusiasts? Even in the week since my first sail, two more builders have described the completion of their building projects, and a third has just ordered his kit. With the family of Passagemaker builder/owners growing all the time, it won't be long before it becomes a sailing class, with Passagemakers competing against each other in regattas. Who knows what the future will bring for this boat design?

Finally, I'd like to thank all those who kept tabs on my building project, and offered words of advice or encouragement along the way. It was a project I entered in to with some trepidation, but am very proud to have finished. The completion of building is, of course, the beginning of sailing. I look forward to reaching the milestone of 100 hours of sailing, to equal the 100 hours of building. And then I look forward to many more sailing hours. As with most blogs, this one runs in reverse chronological order, with the most recent posts first. The journey begins here.

Sail away

2006-07-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

Fuggles hit the water with sails for the first time today. Such was the excitement that I took not a single photo. But believe me, we got a nice afternoon of sailing in. After arriving at the boat ramp, I rigged the mast and sails, and then we launched at the ramp. I hoisted the main, and it was relatively easy this time to run it completely up with no binding, and with the gunter yard right on the mast. We sailed away slowly at first, but little puffs of wind came, giving us momentum, and then dying. Finally, after about half an hour, we got a fairly steady light breeze, which allowed us to practice our tacks. We beat to windward up the length of the lake just in time for the wind to die again. About that time, we heard some distant thunder, even though the sky above us was quite clear. But we decided to turn around and head for the boat ramp. As we ran down wind, the thunder built, and it became time to break out the oars. I rowed from the forward seat, hunkered down slightly to clear the main boom. We managed to get back to the dock just as the first dark clouds appeared. By the time I got the car and trailer, waited my turn at the ramp, and loaded up Fuggles, things were really looking ominous, although a fresh breeze was kicking up. We got on the road for home and were treated to some rain and a spectacular lightning show just to our south. A good introduction to Passagemaker dinghy sailing; I look forward to many more outings.

Bottom Line

2006-07-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I kept a tally of the costs involved in the construction of a standard version Passagemaker Dinghy with sails. Readers of this site are no doubt familiar with the maxim about sailing and throwing money into a hole in the water. I am pleased to report that since my boat was rather small, the hole wasn't too big. Altogether, it cost me $3439.81 to bring a Passagemaker dinghy to sailing readiness.

Now, that figure may be a bit misleading. It, of course, includes the cost of the boat kit and sails themselves. But it also includes many power tools, safety gear and basic items such as saw horses. I began the project with none of these, and as far as I will use these on future projects, it isn't entirely fair to include their costs here. To further add to the inaccuracy of the figure, there are some small costs that I haven't included, such as fees and charges to obtain licensing and registration for a boat in this state. There are also one or two recent supply shopping forays that I haven't yet included, as I continue to search for the receipts. But I'm confident that the figure is within 5% accuracy.

Curious about the details? Check out this Excel spreadsheet and judge for yourself.

Rain, rain, go away

2006-07-29T18:44:00.000-05:00

It is a cruel irony that all summer, while I finished building Fuggles, central Alabama has been going through a significant drought. But today, when she is ready to sail, line after line of thunderstorms have been passing through the area. So instead of sailing, we went to the new Woody Allen movie, "Scoop". Not one of Woody's best, but it was entertaining. Meanwhile, the forecast has recently changed, and calls for more rain tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I have been getting back to entries in my costs log. I started the project keeping a spreadsheet of all costs involved in building Fuggles. Somewhere along the line I slacked off on keeping up with purchases in real time. I'll start entering things again from my stack of receipts, and at some point offer an insight into what the boat ended up costing me. Whatever the bottom line, it will be well worth it, as I am very satisfied in how my first boat building project turned out.

Just add water

2006-07-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

Fuggles is now fully rigged and ready for sailing. I lashed the mainsail on the yards, and attached the sheets and halyards this morning. I am not totally satisfied with the parrel at the gunter yard jaws. This is a loop of line intended to keep the fork of the upper yard riding against the mast. However, I have a hard time keeping it from binding up and preventing the main sail mast from being hauled completely up. Part of the problem is packing tape residue on the mast, which I need to clean off better. Part is a mainsail halyard that is too stretchy; I'll have to hunt for some better line to use. And part is the mast stopper and the eye that the halyard runs through. I think the halyard is catching on the sharp edge of the aluminum tube that serves as the mast. If I file down this sharp cut edge and round it over, I think it won't chafe the halyard as much.

All that remains is a good day for sailing. Weather forecast today calls for good chance of thunderstorms. It looks like we'll wait until at least tomorrow for the inaugural sail.

Rudder

2006-07-27T20:41:00.000-05:00

After some wet sanding, the daggerboard, rudder, and spars got their final coat of varnish this morning. And then this evening, I installed the rudder hardware. The pintels went on the rudder head with a little effort and persuasion with a c-clamp to get the side straps tight and flat. I then marked the centerline of the stern transom and marked the rough position of the gudgeons. I drilled holes and installed the top one, then hung the rudder head to check the alignment. Then I marked, drilled and installed the lower gudgeon. Everything looks fairly close to being aligned. The stainless steel screws in the lower gudgeon go all the way through the transom (as opposed to the upper gudgeon screws, which have the double thickness and motor pad to go through). It shouldn't be too much of a problem that the lower screws penetrate the transom. Their position is rarely submersed, and a generous layer of silicone caulk was applied during installation. So I don't think there will be any leaking concerns. However, I may seal off the inside surface where the screws penetrate with caulk or a coating of epoxy, just to be safe.

So that's pretty much it. I have to lash the main sail to the boom and gunter yard, rig the main and jib sheets and halyards, and we are ready to sail. Weather forecasts for this Saturday look marginal, with scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Hopefully we can get the first sailing cruise of Fuggles in then.

So, it looks like the estimate of 100 hours to build a sailing version Passagemaker was remarkably accurate. At least for this builder. Total Hours 99.50.

Fuggles gets her wings

2006-07-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I got a chance to start configuring the sailing rig for Fuggles. I started by running a string down the centerline of the boat and positioned the mast step. Once the correct position for the step was marked, I drilled holes to mount it on the forward seat. It will be supported by the mast step support that was epoxied in place before the bow seat was installed. I then stepped the mast, and held it in approximate position while I fabricated the backstay slips. Instead of turnbuckles, I created lashings out of strong nylon cord. About a dozen turns connected the thimble eye to the brass spring clip. The lashing is simple and strong, but I will have difficulty adjusting the tension of the backstays should that be needed later on. We'll have to see if turnbuckles are needed later on. But for now, this should get us on the water with the sails. I ran up the gunter yard, just to take a look at things. All that remains is to install the rudder hardware, and to lash the main sail to the boom and gunter yard.

Odds 'n Ends

2006-07-25T10:28:00.000-05:00

Little spurts of activity have been going on since the launch. I have been chipping away at the many little tasks that need to be completed for the fitting out and sail launch. The eye straps for the backstays were mounted, and I played around with the lashing of the bronze spring clip on the forestay. What I improvised looks like it will be pretty sturdy. I also made a pass through the hardware store and stocked up on a couple kinds of line for the rigging. I found that getting 1/4" main halyard line through a 1/4" hole in the gunter yard was difficult until I fashioned a thread fish line to pull it through, rather than trying to push it through. I also picked up some stainless steel panhead wood screws to mount the rudder gudgeons. These replace the screws that I mislaid somewhere during the project and move to a new house. I will wait another day or so to mount the rudder; I'd like to get one more coat of varnish on the rudder head and blade before mounting the hardware.

And also, with a bit of regret, I finally applied the registration number and yearly renewal sticker to the bow on either side of Fuggles. It's not quite as bad, aesthetically, as I had feared. And what's more, it will be required if we are to sail her- as soon as this weekend. NWS forecast is calling for 6-12 mph winds, which would be ideal for the first sailing shakedown. Perhaps a Friday afternoon rigging, and a Saturday sail. Stay tuned! Total Hours 97.75.

Showtime!

2006-07-19T13:13:00.000-05:00

Announcing the latest Intron Films release: The Building of Fuggles. This is a short documentary of the construction process of a Passagemaker Dinghy. Hope to soon have a "Directors cut" with additional material after the sailing shakedown cruise in a week or so.

Windows media viewer file, 14.7 MB. Duration 4:35 minutes.

What's in a name?

2006-07-16T19:54:00.000-05:00

For the name of our Passagemaker dinghy, Kathy and I agreed on Fuggles. The name has significance for us on several levels. Fuggles is the name of a variety of hops that are used to flavor several types of traditional English ales, including the ale style called India Pale Ale, or IPA. This is special, since it ties in one of my other hobbies- homebrewing. Kathy started me on the hobby during our first Christmas together, and since then, I have won a few awards with my brews, and had lots of fun along the way. Fuggles was christened with a splash, not of traditional Champaign, but of an IPA from Portland, Maine. Although Fuggles was built in Alabama from a kit made by a Maryland company from wood grown in Africa, the spiritual home of all wooden boats must be Maine. The state is home to many shipyards that craft fine sailing and motor vessels of wood using traditional techniques. Also, the famed Wooden Boat School is located in Maine, and is instrumental in preserving the skills needed in the building and maintaining of beautiful wooden boats of every type.

It is immensely satisfying to sail in a boat one builds himself. May Fuggles sail safely for many years to come.

Delivery

2006-07-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

Kathy and Peter are pleased to announce the arrival of Fuggles, at 2:52 p.m. on July 16, 2006. Fuggles weighed in at approximately 95 lbs, and measured 11 feet, 6 inches long. The christening included appropriate words from Peter, and an inaugural splash of Shipyard IPA. After a difficult 9 months gestation, Fuggles took to the water eagerly, and swam well. The proud parents look forward to the development of sails in the very near future.

Relaxing

2006-07-16T16:14:00.000-05:00

After a long week at work, nothing beats getting out on the new boat.

Rowing

2006-07-16T15:29:00.000-05:00

Launch

2006-07-16T15:02:00.000-05:00

Rumors

2006-07-16T07:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon in the mid-summer Alabama heat, the fifth and final coat of varnish went on the topsides of the Passagemaker. The result was a satisfying deep gloss that complimented the white of the hull bottom. This morning the oarlock sockets were installed, with care to embed the screws in silicone caulk. Even though the boat is not yet fully fitted out for sailing, she could be rowed. Could a christening, launch, and rowing trial take place later today? Stay tuned... Total Hours 97.00.

Almost there

2006-07-15T09:35:00.000-05:00

As the early morning temps leapt into the upper 80s with humidity levels to match, I rolled my Passagemaker dinghy out for one last wet sanding session. This was just a light going-over with 320-grit paper before the fifth and final coat of varnish. Since my sequence is a little out of whack, the ancillary parts like the daggerboard, rudder, mast step and spars only have a couple coats of varnish. I'll have to catch them up over the next week. I hope to get the final coat of varnish on later today, which will then leave one more coat of the white bottom paint for next week. It's almost hard to believe the project is almost done. It's looking more and more likely that CLC's estimate of 100 hours to complete the sailing version of this standard Passagemaker is pretty darn close. At least for this builder. Total Hours 96.25.

Fab four

2006-07-13T07:32:00.000-05:00

Another day, another coat of varnish. This morning was coat four. By now I have finally learned some basic lessons. Like not coating the rub rails before I have to lean in and do the bottom panels; less varnish gets on my shirt that way! This weekend should see the last coat on the interior, for now. Then next week, a final coat of white paint on the outer hull, some additional varnish coats on spars and fins, and installation of the hardware and rigging. Launch is officially projected to be August 4, which is also Coast Guard Day! Total Hours 95.50.

Thank you sir, may I have another?

2006-07-11T07:33:00.000-05:00

As with other stages of this boat building project, I quickly have fallen into a comfortable routine with the application of the topside varnish. After the coat on Sunday, the boat was allowed to dry for about 24 hours. Then last night I gave it a good sanding. This was my first attempt at wet sanding, using some 320-grit paper (made in Finland- not the horrible cheap stuff from India I have been using) and keeping a wet surface, I was really surprised how well things looked after the quick sanding session. Then this morning before work, I applied the third coat of Interlux Schooner varnish. A nice gloss is starting to develop, as well as a little depth in the varnish layer. Tomorrow evening, the cycle starts again for coat 4.

I also received my registration stickers from the Decal Zone. Very quick service, and the vinyl registration numbers look great. Total Hours 94.00.

Layer upon layer

2006-07-09T19:39:00.000-05:00

When I could no longer resist the temptation, I went out and put a second coat of varnish on the boat. My concern was attracting bugs by using lights in the evening. But daylight lasts long enough now that it was still pretty bright outside, and so far, bugs haven't been a problem. The second coat seems to have covered the sanded, crazed spots pretty well. Time will tell if I avoided the same mistake with this second coat. It was a little harder to tell this time where varnish had already been applied, and where my wet edge was. But I am pretty sure everything got a second coat. My neighbors must have thought it strange to see me dancing around so much, craning my neck to catch a reflection of light at an angle to reveal a sloppy brush stroke here or a dry spot there. But with the planned second coat done a little ahead of schedule, I should be able to sand tomorrow evening, and be ready for the third coat Tuesday morning. Total Hours 92.50.

Yard, Sail

2006-07-09T14:38:00.000-05:00

Prep work was the order of the day today, as I turned my attention to the spars. A number of holes had to be marked and drilled in the gunter yard and the main boom, so that I could begin varnishing these parts. The instructions mention that it is surprisingly difficult to epoxy coat these pieces, and that multiple coats of varnish are sufficient to protect them. But before I could do this, a number of holes had to be drilled. In the gunter yard, there are holes positioned all along the spar that correspond to grommets in the luff of the main sail. These are the points where the sail will be lashed to the gunter. Also, a hole is drilled in the long axis of the gunter at its center for the attachment of the main sail halyard. Along the main boom, holes must be drilled for mounting of two mainsheet blocks, the main clew outhaul, and the boom downhaul. When these were marked, I drilled each with a 1/4" bit. I also mounted the main mast stays and jib halyard block to the masthead. Finally, three cleats were installed at the base of the main mast which will be used to belay halyards and the main sail downhaul.

After that, I rolled the boat out into the fresh afternoon breeze and gave the first coat of varnish a light sanding. I was disappointed to find several areas of crazing. This apparently resulted from a too thick coat of varnish. Since they were mostly on horizontal surfaces, there weren't drips or runs, but as the overly-thick layer dried, it crinkled up into a pattern much like a fingerprint. So extra sanding mostly removed these areas, and served as a reminder to be extra careful about applying a thin layer when I put the second coat on tomorrow morning. Total Hours 91.75.

Sightings

2006-07-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

Recently, I posted a link to the review of the Passagemaker dinghy by noted marine architect Robert H. Perry, which was published in Sailing Magazine. To confuse matters, now the July issue of Sail Magazine (no "ing") has a short article on a selection of hard dinghy tenders. Read the article here. The article deals primarily with manufactured plastic models, and only mentions the Passagemaker as an aside. It is good to see, however, that the Passagemaker compares very well with the more modern boats in terms of size, weight, capacity, and price. And none of the plastic fantastic tenders have the character and class of a hand-built wooden dinghy!

Shine on!

2006-07-08T07:56:00.000-05:00

In the calm, cool morning air, my Passagemaker Dinghy got her long-awaited first coat of varnish. For the bright finish, I am using Interlux Schooner varnish. This product will give a high gloss, while also giving UV protection to the underlying epoxy. On the whole, I was pleased with how the first attempt went. I was able to experiment with the application characteristics of the varnish on the daggerboard, which got a first coat some time ago. There certainly is a lot of surface area on the inside of this boat! I used a roller to cover some of the larger, flat expanses. But a foam brush was still needed for tipping in, and also for the many tight spots and corners. Keeping the coat as thin as possible, I think I managed to avoid many drips and sags. The entire interior and exterior transoms and sheer strake took just about one-half quart to coat. I have three quarts on hand, which will give me enough for the recommended 5-6 coats that are needed for a durable finish. Even after this first, I am encouraged with how things look. And now, I'm more eager than ever to get out on the water! Total Hours 90.50.

Papers, please

2006-07-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

This morning, I surmounted another hurdle before being able to sail. Some time ago, I obtained a hull serial number, as required for a home made boat under Alabama law. So today, I finally got around to once again visiting my favorite place, the county license office, and purchased the necessary boat registration. This number, different from the hull serial number, is more like a car's license plate. Only this number and yearly renewal sticker must be prominently displayed on both sides of the Passagemaker dinghy's bow. I thought I might be able to avoid marring the appearance of my boat by claiming it was primarily a non-mechanical powered boat under 16 feet in length, but there is specific language in the law concerning the registration of sailboats of any size. And since that is the way I will primarily use my Passagemaker, I figured I shouldn't try to cut corners. So an hour and $12 later, I have a registration number and some large yearly stickers. If I must ruin the look of my boat, I thought it best to minimize the damage. So instead of address number stickers from the hardware store, I have found a company that will print boat registration numbers in a one piece sticker and in a variety of colors and fonts. My order goes off today!

Second paint coat

2006-07-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

The exterior hull went through another sanding and painting cycle last evening and early this morning. Last evening, I moved it out and sanded it lightly after the first coat of Interlux Brightside white. There was one drip, a few specks of dust or larger debris, and a couple of hairs (from me or the resident cat, I can't be sure). I started sanding with 220-grit paper on my orbital sander, but found this left an undesirable brownish tinge to the paint that was the same color as the grit in the paper. For whatever reason, the same paper left no mark if I sanded by hand using a sanding block. So this is what I did in the humid evening air. After that workout, I wiped down the dust from the hull and moved it back into the shop, then masked the edges again with tape and newspaper as previously. I didn't paint in the evening, since the garage door needs to be open for ventilation, but the lights would attract too many bugs in the evening twilight. So early this morning, the hull got its second coat of paint. The sharpness of the shine seemed to improve noticeably after the second coat.

Before applying the third coat of paint using the method above, I may do some varnishing of the interior. The main reason is that my assistant for moving the boat will be unavailable for the next week. But if I flip the hull over, I can put it on the trailer and move it out for sanding and in for varnishing single handedly. Total Hours 89.25.

Hull paint

2006-07-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

After an unsatisfying sanding session yesterday, things began to look up this morning. I masked off the hull again, and then applyed the first coat of paint. For my "standard" Passagemaker Dinghy paint scheme, I chose Interlux Brightside White (5349), a one-part polyurethane high-gloss paint. Using the roll-and-tip technique in which a thin layer of paint was applied with a foam roller, and then bubbles left by the roller were removed with quick, delicate swipe with a foam brush, things went fairly quickly. I was happy with the result- no sags that I can detect yet, and only a couple of small pieces of debris, i.e. a hair or two, or dust flecks. Not yet a mirror finish, but one I was proud of. It took about half of a quart for the hull bottom, and the manufacturer calls for at least two coats. I have enough paint supply for four coats, if I have that much patience. The one difficulty is a few tight spots, like the one between the #1 panel-bottom panel lapstrake joint and the bow end of the skids. This is a narrow spot where my roller wouldn't fit. I have a handle for a smaller, 2" roller, but I need to get some refills for it today. Total Hours 88.00.

Primers Sanding

2006-07-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

An afternoon thunderstorm brought a bit of much needed rain to central Alabama, while also cooling the temperature from the upper 90s to the mid 70s. It was these conditions that I had for the sanding of the primer coat on the exterior hull. I was only a few minutes into the process of sanding with 120-grit paper when I found the conditions were less than ideal. The high humidity caused the primer to clog the paper fairly quickly. This is due to the titanium dioxide in the primer, which absorbs the moisture from the air and becomes gummy. The optimal technique is to prime and get the first paint coat on the boat in dry weather. Unfortunately, low-humidity days are few and far between in the deep South this time of year, even during a drought. So I pressed on, hoping for the best. The surface is fairly smooth, and was then wiped down and cleaned. All is ready for the first coat of true paint. Total hours 87.00.

Pre-Kote

2006-07-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

Bright and early this morning, I began the process of painting the exterior hull. There are any number of schemes for painting a small sailing pram; the variety is only limited by the imagination of the builder. However, I opted for a scheme that is best called the "standard" finish. By this, I mean a finish where the exterior bottom of the hull is painted white, leaving the exterior top strake and all of the interior finished "bright", or varnished. This is the scheme used by CLC for their showroom model Passagemakers, and I think it is a simple, elegant decor. But even within this basic finish, there are small variations. Gloss or satin varnish? Where to finish the paint edge on the transoms- leave the strake edge bare, or paint over it? Painted or bright skeg? The minute details can be endless. I chose to adhere to the K.I.S.S. principle, and to keep things as simple as possible.

Accordingly, I masked the top strake and the transom (I like the look of a little plywood edge, so I'll keep the strake ends visible) with 3M blue masking tape, medium adherence. Then I gave the hull a first coat with Interlux Pre-Kote primer. This is a high-build primer, designed to flow well, yet fill small imperfections in the surface. I found that about half of the 1-quart container was enough for one coat on the hull. I am still debating whether to add a second coat. Already, the hull looks nice. The scarfs in the strakes are well hidden, and even the one or two stitch holes I hadn't completely filled are pretty well hidden. The primer went on most of hull with a small foam roller, but I had to resort to a small trim brush to get to some small corners around the skids, and in the skeg handle. Total Hours 86.25.

Washdown

2006-07-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

Finally, the day came to get the boat ready for painting. This involved its first trailer trip, to a new house we have recently purchased. It is only a short distance from the old one, where all the boat assembly had been done. But it seemed like a good time to bring it to a new shop, which is nice and clean, and free of sanding dust. So the dingy was transported on its trailer, and washed down in the driveway of our new home. A quick spongebath was needed to removed sanding dust and other surface contaminants prior to painting. After a thorough wash and rinse inside and out, she was moved to the new shop (garage) and allowed to dry. Masking and priming on the bottom hull are next!

So long, sanding!

2006-06-29T20:52:00.001-05:00

And so, it was on a warm but unseasonably comfortable June evening that I completed the sanding of the boat. Tonight it was a fairly quick task to go over those spots where I added one more coat of epoxy, to fair them in with the rest of the sanded hull. As mentioned before, it's not perfect, but good enough. I even wiped down large portions of the hull with a soaking wet rag to remove the large amounts of dust. What was underneath was a suitably smooth hull, ready for painting and varnishing. With a holiday weekend of sorts ahead, I have ambitious plans to completely wash and clean the hull, and mask off the bottom which will receive first a coat of primer, then a couple of coats of gloss white paint. Total hours 85.50.

Good Enough?

2006-06-28T06:40:00.000-05:00

When is a boat sanded enough? It becomes a really metaphysical question at some point. I'm inclined to go with the answer that was given recently by a member of the Passagemaker Dinghy Forum who said,

When you have reached the point where there is absolutely no question it is “good enough”, take a break then go back out for a final run around the boat with a bare hand and a strip of 220-grit. Then quit. For good.

I think I have reached that point. I finished up the session last evening with a pass of the 220-grit. The boat is smooth, overall. Small patches, mostly in crevices, could still use some work. But as this is intended as a working boat and not a show boat, I'm ready to call the task complete. Much more work could be put in, with less and less payoff. As a final chore, I added one more coat of epoxy to the skeg and skid strips. These will be sanded later today, and then the boat will be ready for the final phase of painting and varnishing! Total hours 85.00.

Prodigal sander

2006-06-27T08:15:00.000-05:00

Armed with a new pack of sandpaper, and (finally) some free time, I was able to return to the final stretch of sanding last night. The starboard exterior of the hull was all that remained to be done, so I 120-gritted my teeth and got down to the job at hand. Apart from a few nasty spots of ugly epoxy drips, this side of the boat was already in pretty good shape. It got a rough going -over with the belt sander, followed by the orbital sander with 120-grit paper. One more session with some 220-grit, and I will finally be able to start masking and priming the bottom. It is so good to get back to boat building! Total hours 84.50.

Belt up!

2006-06-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

Sanding continues on the exterior hull. As I had hoped, things are going quicker than with the interior. This is due to a combination of unobstructed surfaces and the feasibility of using a belt sander. I was able to knock down some nasty drips very quickly with the belt sander, and then went over the hull with the 1/4 sheet orbital and 120-grit paper. Though wet sanding is not called for at this point, I ended up doing a fair imitation of it, what with the heat and all the safety gear on my head. I ended up in some awkward contortions so as to avoid dripping sweat on newly sanded surfaces. Half the hull is now done; another session or two of sanding, and I should be ready to start painting the hull. Total hours 83.75.

Summary Judgment

2006-05-31T19:18:00.000-05:00

After contending with several errands and the inevitable traffic jam on the tedious commute home, I rationalized that I could take a night off of sanding this evening. The fact that Birmingham tied a record for today's high temperature had something to do with the decision, I have no doubt.

I was able to locate a copy of the June issue of Sailing Magazine. This month's issue is especially interesting because it contains a review of the Passagemaker Dinghy by noted yacht designer Robert H. Perry. I understand these reviews are usually available on the magazine's web page, but the current issue does not yet appear online. For the curious, you can see the review here.

Bottoms up!

2006-05-30T20:05:00.000-05:00

With the interior finally (!) sanded, tonight was the point when the hull was flipped over to sand the exterior. So it was back onto the sawhorses, which were now covered in old towels to pad them, so the boat could rest on the bow and stern seat surfaces without damaging the hard-won smooth surfaces. The exterior sanding will apparently go a bit quicker. The large expanses of smooth surfaces with outside curves meant that the faster belt sander could be used. I was able to do about a third of the hull before the heat got to me and the 120-grit belts that I had on hand were expended. As that point, I mixed up some unthickened epoxy and gave a first coat to the bare wood of the skeg and skids, something I hadn't done the last time the boat was bottom up. Total hours 83.00.

Back to the grind

2006-05-29T19:43:00.000-05:00

May has been a busy and productive month for me. Unfortunately, the productivity hasn't been in the area of boatbuilding. But after some family obligations, a trip out of town, and some business dealings, I was finally able to return to boat sanding this evening. I touched up some last spots with the 120 grit paper, then gave the interior a light going-over with the 220 grit. It looks virtually ready for varnishing. But first, I will have to turn my attention to the exterior, which is as yet untouched. In fact, the skeg and skids still need to be epoxy coated. One good thing is that an early summer has come to the deep South, and so that epoxy should set up quickly! Indeed, if there is a recipe for messiness, in includes sanding dust, 90-plus temps, and sweat. But after a cool shower, I am revived, and excited to finally get back to my Passagemaker dinghy. Total hours 82.00.

Smooth interior

2006-05-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

After a tedious and interrupted period, the interior of the Passagemaker is now ready to varnish. Not flawlessly, mirror-smooth. But good enough for my purposes. There remain a few spots to touch up with the finishing 220-grit paper, but for the most part, everything inside the hull is ready for varnish. The next job will be to flip the boat over and get the exterior hull ready for paint. I anticipate that job will go a little faster because of the lack of nooks and corners in the hull exterior. Let's hope.

Meanwhile, over on the Passagemaker Dinghy builder's forum, several other builders are nearing completion of their boats as well. One of them referred to this group of boats as "The Class of 06", a label I thought well enough of to appropriate here. Since the Passagemaker Dinghy kit is still a relatively new product from Chesapeake Light Crafts, there are very few that have been completed at this point. Many, however, are in the pipeline, and are nearing completion. In the next few weeks and months, "The Class of '06" will be hitting the water. It will be great to see the product of so much hard work pay off in sailing and rowing enjoyment for their owner/builders. Total hours 81.25.

Nuts!

2006-04-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

A little over a month ago, I assembled my boat trailer, only to find that the kit was missing a crucial part. In fact, without the spindle nut, one of the wheels was held on very precariously by only a cotter pin. I contacted the place where I bought the trailer, and they are still in the process of sending me a replacement part. In the meantime, I searched several hardware stores in the local area, but couldn't find a simple, yet hard-to-find nut. Finally yesterday, I received a package from a different online store: my 3/4", 16-thread castle/slotted/spindle nut arrived, and now both wheels of my trailer are securely fastened, ready for the road.

I hope to finish the sanding of the interior this weekend. Then I can flip the boat over to do the exterior. I anticipate the exterior will go a little faster. Then painting and varnishing can begin!

Asymptote

2006-04-26T11:23:00.000-05:00

as·ymp·tote n.
A line whose distance to a given curve tends to zero. An asymptote may or may not intersect its associated curve.

As the building of my Passagemaker dinghy nears completion, progress seems to be slowing. That is clearly one figurative definition of asymptote; advancing towards a goal, but never really getting there.

This past weekend, I took a quick trip up to Chicago to visit family. Before that, some household projects required my attention. And on Monday, I spent the evening mowing the lawn, a project that was made more cumbersome by the need to change the oil in my mower, clean and re-thread my string trimmer, and dig the leaf blower out of the corner of the garage where it has sat, unused, all winter. So last night, I was very eager to do some sanding and perhaps get the boat nearer to a stage ready for varnishing. About 45 minutes into the session, my quarter-sheet orbital sander gave out. This led me down the time-consuming path of disassembling it, then reassembling it, only to find that I couldn't discover why the motor would run, but the pad didn't vibrate. So, frustrated and dusty, I cleaned up, had a nice dinner, then searched out my receipt in order to return the sander to Home Depot where I bought it in November. I got there only to find that they don't exchange electric devices after 30 days. To take advantage of Black and Decker's two year warranty, I had to take it to an authorized repair shop. Fortunately, there happened to be one near my workplace. So I took it there this morning, anticipating a lengthy repair process, and wondering what I could do on the boat in the meantime. But much to my surprise, the fine folks at the DeWalt Authorized Service center on Green Springs Hwy in Birmingham were able to exchange my sander for a new one right on the spot. So I am back in business. For those of you keeping score, this is the second sander I have burned up on this boatbuilding project. Let's hope this third one will last long enough to complete it. Total hours: 80.

The varnished truth

2006-04-17T19:50:00.000-05:00

I'm not enough of a biblical scholar to know if Noah ever got tired of sanding the Ark. But I know I am. And I'm guessing my little boat isn't much more than even one cubit long...

But a part of my Easter Sunday was spent in the holiday tradition of boat sanding. The rub rails, daggerboard, rudder head, rudder blade, and mast step all got a good sanding before being coated with a second coat of epoxy. After all that, I even had some time and energy left for some more sanding of the hull interior. Even after an initial going-over with 120-grit paper, there are some rough, orange-peel like sections in the hull interior where the epoxy application wasn't the greatest. Still more work to be done there.

So tonight, I gave that second coat of epoxy on the daggerboard another sanding. I hit it with the 120, then a pass with 220-grit. It looked good enough that curiosity finally overtook me, and I popped the top on a can of Interlux Schooner Varnish. My reading had prepared me for how touchy the application of varnish might be. So I had a small roller for application, and a foam brush standing by for "tipping in", or removing bubbles left by the roller. I was surprised how easily the varnish went on the daggerboard (after I had carefully wiped it free of sanding dust). It didn't even seem necessary to tip in very much. I was careful to apply a thin coat, and all looked good as the daggerboard lay flat. But as soon as I lifted it to do the other side, sags appeared. With subsequent coats, I'll have to be even more careful to put down thinner coats. But overall, I was pleased. It is said one must do a good job sanding, because varnish won't hide any flaws. But I was pleased to find some of the very small sanding swirls and lines did get covered up. Finally, I knew bugs would be a problem with the fresh varnish surface, so I was careful to not turn on my powerful worklights in the open garage as twilight set. But even with no lights, bugs were attracted, and a couple are now stuck in the finish. I'll have to do further coats at a time other than twilight, and most likely with the garage door closed. Fortunately, the garage has a couple of screened windows I can open for ventilation. All in all, a good experiment; one I should be able to improve upon. Total hours 79.25.

The Marine Police always knock twice

2006-04-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

This past week, some other endeavors kept me from boatbuilding. But that isn't to say that no advances towards sailing were made. The Alabama Marine Police assigned the hull serial number, which will allow me to register my Passagemaker dinghy. How they did this was a bit surprising. A while ago, I sent off the form requesting a serial number, as is required in the state for home built boats. I assumed the description of my boat in the form would be enough for them to send me a number. But nowhere in any of my reading was there a mention of a personal visit by an armed Alabama state trooper of the Marine Police division. So when I arrived home from work one day this week, my wife told me the story of being surprised by a knock on the door, and finding a law enforcement officer waiting there. It turned out he merely had to inspect the boat and place a sticker on the transom- and voila!- I now have my serial number. Lucky for me she was home from work that day! The next step is a return to the driver's license office to pay the registration fee, and obtain another number for another sticker to apply, further ruining the appearance of my boat.
Today was a little change from sanding. I finished some odds and ends I have been meaning to get to for a while. Although earlier I had shaped and sanded the daggerboard, I hadn't yet done the rudder blade. I finished that today, rounding the leading edge and sanding the trailing edge to a fine taper. I also routered the mast step plate, and some edges of the tiller head. Then several areas got a first coat of epoxy: rudder parts, daggerboard, rub rails, and some bare edges in the hull, such as daggerboard slot, motor pad and transom knees. Sanding continues tomorrow. Total hours 77.00.

Sanding continues...

2006-04-09T07:25:00.000-05:00

A little bit each night. That's my tactic for dealing with the sanding phase of building a Passagemaker dinghy. Well, not so much a tactic, really, but a consequence of some other things going on right now. So at least I am making progress. The interior has been given a going over with 120-grit paper, but some rough spots remain, a result of some inattentiveness while applying the final overall coats of epoxy. Those drips take a long time to sand down. But at least the bronze screws holding the bottom skeg and skids are nice and bright now! The sanding is indeed tedious, but at least in a couple areas where I started the 220-grit sanding, the result is very satisfactory. There won't be too much more to blog about as the sanding continues. But in the meantime, check out these sanding songs. CLC completed a recent month-long contest to write a "sanding song" and recently announced the winners. Total hours 75.25.

Also, I finally tackled a problem I had been putting off. Earlier, I had installed a trailer hitch on our Saturn VUE. But for months I had been avoiding finishing the job by installing the wiring harness. The main stumbling block was running a dedicated wire from the vehicle's battery to the harness switcher in the rear of the vehicle. One cannot simply splice the trailer wires into the VUE taillight wires because there is insufficient current in that circuit to drive both taillights and trailer lights. Instead, a logic switcher is spliced in, and is connected to its own power supply. I puzzled over several routes to run the power cable from the battery, through the firewall, under plastic panels, and to the compartment in the rear of the vehicle where everything is connected. I finally did it this morning, and after some fumbling with a rubber grommet in the firewall, I got the power wire in place. A clean installation, all ready to splice in the controller and the trailer harness plug.

Sanding begins

2006-04-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

After tending to some much needed -- and long overdue-- yard work and landscaping for the past couple days, I was able to return to boatbuilding for a short time this evening. Indeed, there seems to be at last some light at the end of the tunnel. Some small building tasks remain, such as assembly of the rudder, and some rigging. But the main task ahead now is finishing the hull. Even here, odds and ends remain. The rub rails and skeg are needing to be epoxy coated, as well as some bare edges of wood, such as the upper daggerboard trunk slot and newly routered edges of the transom knees. But the tedious job of sanding is the one main obstacle between me and sailing. So tonight I began the journey. The belt sander is too brute a force for this job, so the smaller and slower quarter-sheet orbital sander will be the tool that will get the most use. There is plenty of tight spots that will require sanding by hand, also. The entire hull needs going over with 120-grit, and then 220-grit paper. I understand some builders go even finer before applying the paint or varnish. But I already understand I have accumulated too many small building flaws to ever achieve a contest-winning, show boat appearance. I am more realistically hoping to arrive at a respectable looking boat that will be durable, a true sailer, and decent looking. The journey begins... Total hours 73.75.

Design lineage, part II

2006-04-02T08:01:00.000-05:00

Earlier, I mentioned a book by Frank Rosenow, and the obvious design influences derived from the Swedish eka working boat. There is a further bit of design heritage in the Passagemaker dinghy that should be mentioned. The famed small boat designer Sir Jack Holt also had his role influencing the design of the Passagemaker with his Mirror racing dinghy. This role is acknowledged by the Passagemaker designer himself, John C. Harris, who says, "Both the Mirror and the Passagemaker are prams with gunter-sloop rigs, which is sort of my wink-and-nod to Holt." Indeed, the economical gunter rig is found in both boats, combining a fast, weatherly Marconi-style rig with the convenient short and transportable spars of a gaff rig. But beyond that, the serious racing purpose of the Mirror is apparent: the design sports a finer bow, a planing hull, and the more complex and versatile running rigging of a class racer. Many mirrors are also equipped with hiking straps and trapeze wires for hard sailing, in contrast to the simpler, all-purpose configuration of the Passagemaker. Large numbers of Mirrors exist today, and Mirror clubs are active in England. There, the fine art of dinghy sailing is refined, and subtle points of rig tuning discussed. Passagemaker builders have Jack Holt's Mirror dinghy to thank as another design influence.

Risers, knees and pads

2006-04-01T14:16:00.000-06:00

Several little things got done today. The biggest job was to finish the rub rails: The ends were trimmed and shaped, and then the two layers of the rail were sanded down into one smooth rail. At that point, the edges on top and underneath were shaped with the router and 1/4" roundover bit. After that, the fitting of a few last items could be done. The oarlock risers, little tapered blocks of wood to which the bronze oarlock sockets will be mounted, were epoxied to the rubrails with cabo-sil thickened epoxy. There are two rowing stations on the Passagemaker dinghy, and so the two pairs of risers are mounted 14" aft of the midships bulkhead, and 12" aft of the forward bulkhead. The motor pad's edges were rounded off with the router and it was then mounted on the stern transom. Finally, the bow and stern transom knees were "tack-welded" in place. The bow knee required some work, as the angle between the bow seat and transom was slightly smaller than what the knee was cut for. A little sanding and router edging prepared the knees for tack welding, which is to say, cabo-sil epoxy on the edge surface of the knees to hold them in place. They were made plumb and square, and taped to hold them in place while the epoxy cured. Once cured, a peanut-butter epoxy fillet will be applied around each one. Total hours 72.75.

Seat touch-up

2006-03-30T20:35:00.000-06:00

It was a quick job to touch up the fillets on the bow seat. Adding to the base set down previously, I filled it to a level flush with the seat surface, and shaped it into the contour of the bow. The only tasks that remain are to install the bow and stern transom knees, motor pad, and oarlock blocks. It is amazing how rigid the hull has become with the final addition of the seats; such a long way from the collection of flexible strakes that I started with a few months ago. Total hours 70.25.

Bow seat

2006-03-28T20:52:00.000-06:00

Another batch of peanut butter epoxy, another seat. The bow seat presented its own obstacles during the installation. There was a sizable gap--about 3/4" -- between the #3 and #4 strakes and the edge of the front seat about 8" aft of the bow transom. Whether this is normal, or due to a flaw in my construction, I can't be sure. But it will require a process of building up some layers of epoxy to fill the gap. The space couldn't be spanned by one fillet of epoxy, but will instead require a second fillet be applied later over the one laid down tonight. Apart from the gap that ran for about 10" on either side of the bow seat, everything else went well. There was a very slight curve in the piece of plywood that makes the seat, so I added some weight in the form of my homebrewing propane tank to maintain a tight contact between the seat and the bow bulkhead. In all the rest of the edge, a standard fillet could be applied and smoothed. Total hours 69.75.

Aft seat

2006-03-27T21:16:00.000-06:00

I tried my hand at the permanent installation of one of the seats tonight. It looked like the stern seat would be easier, so I started with that one. After mixing up a batch of peanut butter thickened epoxy, I laid a bead on top of the bulkhead so as to provide a good seal. Using the zip-loc pastry bag dispenser, I also lined the edge of the stern transom where the seat would meet it. When I put the seat in place, I found a small gap of maybe 1/8" between the seat edge and the stern transom. Accordingly, the seat had a tendency to sag a bit there. To support it, I hooked a wire coat hanger under the edge, and bent it over the top of the transom. I then put a small fillet of thickened epoxy around the perimeter of the seat, except at the location of the wire support. After a couple of hours, the fillet was smoothed as usual with an alcohol-dipped gloved finger. I'll fill in the remaining gap after this fillet cures, resulting in a completely air-tight chamber. Total hours 69.00.

Lay Lake

2006-03-26T19:03:00.000-06:00

Fully intending a day of boatbuilding, Kathy and I instead took a Sunday drive to the site of our planned first sail of the Passagemaker dinghy. I refer to Lay Lake, a hydro-power reservoir on the Coosa river. The lake is part of a system of lakes created and maintained by Alabama Power. Lay Lake is one of the smaller in the system, but after our visit today, we saw it will be plenty big for sailing. We checked out a free public boat ramp that at about 25 miles away, is the closest to home. It is a nice facility, with two cement boat ramps, nearby docks, and plenty of pull-through parking for boat trailers. Also, just down the road is a second boat ramp facility at a commercial marina called "Paradise Point" marina. Curiously, the road to paradise is strewn with potholes. The free public ramp at Beeswax park is much nicer. It off of the main lake in a small protected cove. Perhaps in a month, we'll be able to have a little boat christening ceremony, and go sailing.

After returning home, I did a quick oil change in my car. After that, I had time to cut the upper opening in the daggerboard trunk. This was done in the same way as the lower one, by drilling a 1/2" starter hole, then using the router with a 1/2" flush-cut bit to cut the slot even with the interior surface of the trunk. The edge was then shaped with the 3/8" roundover bit. A slight unevenness at one end was the result of a stray glop of epoxy that was squeezed out of the joint which the bit bearing rode over. This will be smoothed out later by hand.

Rub rail redux

2006-03-23T21:17:00.000-06:00

Over the last two nights, I've continued to lay up the rub rails on the port side of the Passagemaker dinghy, and tonight the task was completed. Turns out it's true what they say about practice making perfect; by the fourth and final strip, I was getting pretty good at applying just the right amount of thickened epoxy, and attaching all the clamps to hold the strip in place. Once this final strip completely cures, I can trim the ends and shape them, sand the laminated strips smooth, and give the edges a nice shape with a router. After that, things enter the home stretch, at least as far as major boat construction goes. I hope to get the fore and aft seats in place this weekend, after which there are only a few small parts to install: bow and stern knees, and motor pad. Then the extended period of finish sanding, painting and varnishing begins.

Yesterday morning, I stopped by the local License Office to pick up the forms for registering the boat. This is never my favorite place to visit. Nonetheless, Alabama state law requires that motor-driven and sailboats be registered. (Whether this also includes vessels like the Passagemaker dinghy when used as a row boat is unclear.) The first step in this process will be to apply for a hull serial number from the state Marine Police, a division of the state troopers. Once this number is assigned to a newly homebuilt boat, the registration and yearly fee is obtained from the county License Office. Fortunately, Alabama has no provision for titles or license plates for boat trailers, so I am spared that hassle. Total hours 68.25.

Noah's dinghy

2006-03-20T20:24:00.000-06:00

On such a rainy night, it seemed appropriate that I should be building a boat. If the storm lasts much longer, I'll have to begin gathering two of every animal. My task tonight was a brief one: the second layer of the starboard rubrail was attached with cabo-sil thickened epoxy. It was a fairly quick process, and I only charged the Passagemaker dinghy building total with a half hour's effort. But I continued on with the final touches of the trailer assembly. This included the wiring harness. A simple enough affair, made up of four wires and a ground strap. But fishing the wires from the hitch through the frame of the trailer and out the small holes provided in the frame proved to be easier said than done. On top of that, I wasn't content to use the crimp connectors provided with the kit. Instead, I soldered the connections for the running and tail lights, with the idea that they will last a little bit longer. We'll see. Total hours 67.75.

Rub rails

2006-03-18T18:04:00.000-06:00

After bolting together the trailer, and taking a break to mow the lawn for the first time this year, I turned to the rub rails. These are strips of wood that were scarfed together on the first day of boat construction. Today, they finally join the boat. A small batch of cabo-sil epoxy was mixed up and coated on one side of the first of four strips. Each side of the boat will end up with a rail made up of two thicknesses of strips, laminated together. I don't have sufficient clamps for two sides, nor do I have enough hands to glue both strips in one operation. So I settled for the slow approach, doing one strip today and letting it cure overnight before adding the second strip. Total hours 67.25.

Boat trailer

2006-03-18T14:27:00.000-06:00

I took an afternoon's break from boatbuilding to assemble my boat trailer. The thing came in three large heavy boxes, which included a couple of bags of nuts and bolts. Unfortunately, a critical castle nut was missing from the collection, and I am attempting to get a replacement from the company now. Since this is the nut that holds on one of the wheels, it is fairly important. The assembly was very straightforward, and went smoothly. In fact, I made a short movie of the process. If you have Windows Media Viewer, you can watch it here. The trailer looks reasonably sturdy, and a good fit for the Passagemaker Dinghy. I plan to use it as a cradle for the boat which will be slightly lower than my sawhorses. This should allow easier access to the interior as I install the rubrails and seats.

Skegs & skids

2006-03-16T21:24:00.000-06:00

With the last night of an available assistant, I was able to permanently install the skeg and skids. They were all unscrewed, and the area underneath them was scuff sanded. A batch of thickened peanut butter epoxy was mixed and applied to the mating surfaces of the skeg and skids. They were then returned to their positions and screws were driven back into place. A strap was tied to one side of the skeg to keep it plumb as the epoxy set. A large fillet was applied to the length of the skeg, and excess epoxy was wiped off the skids. Total hours 66.75.

First skeg fitting

2006-03-15T20:58:00.000-06:00

The positioning of the skeg and bottom skids was one of those tasks that require a second pair of hands. Fortunately, Kathy was off work tonight, and was available to help out. A centerline was marked from the stern transom to the daggerboard trunk slot, and four holes were drilled through the bottom panel along this line. The position of the two 41" long bottom skids were also marked, 41" from the stern transom and 7-1/2" from the centerline of the hull. Holes for four #8, 3/4" woodscrews were drilled from the interior and countersunk. Then, with Kathy holding the skids down, the pilot holes were drilled into them and the woodscrews screwed into place. After practice with the skids, the same process was followed with the skeg. The only difference with the skeg was that care was taken to hold it square to the hull as the holes were drilled. With all the parts test fitted and in place, they now are ready for epoxy and final installation tomorrow. Total hours 65.50.

Skeg prep

2006-03-14T21:09:00.000-06:00

Some prep work was the next task, before attachment of the skeg. After being glued together, the skeg has sat untouched. Before attachment, it needed to be sanded to remove drips of epoxy that has squeezed out from between the two layers, as well as evening up slight mismatches between the halves. Next, the edges were finished off with a router and roundover bit. A brief check showed that the mating surface contour fit the curve of the hull fairly closely. Tomorrow, woodscrews will be countersunk ahead of the final installation of the skeg. Total hours 64.25.

Administrivia

2006-03-14T07:19:00.000-06:00

A reader recently asked about the time spent on building a Passagemaker dinghy. As it so happens, I had recently totaled up my hours on the project to date:

November- 10.50 hours
December- 15.00 hours
January- 16.25 hours
February- 16.25 hours

Obviously, not a blistering pace. But since it is my first attempt at boatbuilding, the cautious approach is best. I am constantly amazed at how quickly a beautiful wooden boat can be put together: At the CLC classes, intense work over a week produces a complete boat, ready for finishing. If only it were possible to really build a boat as fast as this! The wonderfully warm, breezy weather this past weekend in central Alabama reminded me how nice it will be to have a finished sailboat.

Also, this reminder: for further discussion, surf on over to the Passagemaker Dinghy discussion forum. The growing community of builders welcomes you! And the Passagemaker survey is still open. Take a few minutes to fill it out so we can have a better picture of the Passagemaker makers out there!

Finally, thanks to all of you who have shown an interest in this project. The attention from visitors from around the world shows what a universal allure the wooden boat has.

Second bottom coat

2006-03-13T21:02:00.000-06:00

After an enjoyable weekend with guests from out of town, it was time to return to boatbuilding. Tonight the exterior got a second coat of epoxy. But before it was rolled on, some sanding was needed. Because the exterior #1 panels had previously been coated with their first coat, a bit of sanding was required to smooth out what may have been outgassing. Also, the bottom panel with its layer of fiberglass benefited from some sanding to knock off the tops of epoxy on the weave. This sanding reduced the amount of epoxy that would required to fill the weave. Total hours 63.75.

A wooden boat is born

2006-03-11T07:37:00.000-06:00

I read this morning that a new wooden boat is nearing her launch. The Godspeed is a reproduction vessel modeled after one that brought some of the first European settlers to North America. She was built by Rockport Marine in Maine, and the company web site describes the project:

Godspeed is a replica of one of the three-boat flotilla that came from England to America in 1607 to found what became the first successful English colony in the New World. She is being built by Rockport Marine for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation of Williamsburg, Virginia, and will be used as a fully operational display vessel at the Jamestown Settlement living-history museum. Her design was created by Tri-Coastal Marine of Richmond, California.

A nice pictorial of the Godspeed's move from the shops to the shoreline, and the stepping of her main mast is here.

As for my own, somewhat smaller boat building project, I hope to return to it tomorrow. We have weekend guests visiting, and I am doing my Chicagoan's rendition of southern hospitality. More soon: stay tuned!

Parts is parts

2006-03-05T17:48:00.000-06:00

Intending to put a second coat of epoxy on the exterior hull, I instead got sidetracked, and messed around with various boat parts. I first started finishing the daggerboard. Previously, the handle was laminated on the piece of plywood that makes up the daggerboard. Today, I shaped the board to be more hydrodynamic. The leading edge of the submerged portion was rounded, and the trailing edge was shaped to a fine taper with a belt sander and 100-grit paper. Other edges were rounded with the router and a roundover bit. I switched to the 3/8" roundover bit to shape the handle, which turned out to be good looking with the round contour and all the layers of the laminate showing. I then turned to some finish work on the spars. I attached the gunter yard jaws to this spar. The jaws are shaped plywood that form a fork where the gunter yard rides along the mast. The instructions for this task are a little unclear, with only a warning to put the jaws on the correct end of the yard. However, it is unclear - and not shown in a photo on the page - which direction the jaws angle towards. (Although, after thinking about it, I realize that if they are put on the correct end of the yard, there is only one way they could angle.) For Passagemaker builders, be sure to look ahead to page 85 (the first page 85; my copy of the instruction book has two) of the instruction book for a photo of the correct orientation. Additionally, the instructions call for the jaws to be preliminarily attached by countersunk screws, but don't specify which of the myriad screws that are included in the sail kit are to be used. Since the yard is rather narrow, I used four of the shortest bronze woodscrews supplied in the sail kit. Later on, the jaws will be permanently epoxied in place along with the screws. Finally, the gunter yard and the mainsail boom were sanded and edges were rounded off with the router to give a finished look. Instructions advise that the spars need not be epoxy coated, but only varnished, which is something I will do later, after the required rigging holes are drilled in the yards.

By the time that was all done, it was far too nice a day to be inside boat building. I took the rest of the afternoon off to enjoy the weather. Total hours 62.75.

First bottom coat

2006-03-04T15:16:00.000-06:00

At this stage, the instructions call for two coats of unthickened epoxy on the entire exterior of the hull. The exterior sides of the #1 strakes to this point have not received any epoxy coating, and the layer of fiberglass on the bottom panel still requires that the weave be filled. A good session of sanding preceded the first coat of epoxy. I made sure to smooth down all the filled stitch holes, as well as some little "spines" of cabosil-epoxy that had wicked up underneath some of the stitches as the seams were glued. When the wires were removed, these little ridges remained and had to be sanded away. After a tedious period of sanding, I mixed up some unthickened epoxy (it turned out that 14 pumps were necessary to cover the whole hull and transoms) and rolled it on. I am eyeing my epoxy supply with a little apprehension: after the coating of the hull, no tasks remain that require large batches to be mixed. Even so, plenty of little things remain that require epoxy, like coating of rudder and daggerboard parts, gluing the motor pad, filleting seats and knees, and the like. I have been careful to be economical with what was supplied with the kit, but I hope what remains will hold out. Total hours 61.25.

Daggerboard bottom slot

2006-03-04T10:32:00.000-06:00

With the interior bulkheads in place, the instructions call for the hull to be flipped over, and epoxy coated as the interior was. However, in the instructions, the daggerboard trunk bottom slot is to be cut at a later time. I reasoned that since this would expose some bare wood that would need to be epoxy coated, I would go ahead and cut the bottom slot early. This would allow the edges of the bottom panel to be epoxy coated in the same process as the whole hull.

Cutting the slot brought me back to my old nemesis, the router. I'm not sure why this tool intimidates me so much. I guess it is my inexperience with it, and the thought that irreparable damage to the project could be done so quickly if it were to get out of control. But with a 1/2" flush-cut bit newly purchased last night, I set to work. And I needn't have been so worried. I drilled two 1/2" pilot holes to enlarge the tiny marker holes I had drilled from the inside just before installing the daggerboard trunk. So I had no fear of missing the interior chamber of the DB trunk. I then turned on the router with its new bit, and was amazed how quickly and smoothly it removed material to create a clean, neat slot in the bottom panel, perfectly even with the interior surface of the DB trunk. There was one tiny irregularity in the edge, where the bit's guide bearing rode over a glob of epoxy that had squeezed out of the bottom DB trunk joint. That was quite unavoidable, and easily fixed with a rasp.

So now I have a long afternoon ahead of me, sanding the lapstrake joints and filled stitch holes ahead of epoxy coating the exterior hull. Total hours 58.10.

Mast Step Support

2006-02-27T20:24:00.000-06:00

On the Passagemaker dinghy, the mast is stepped into a plate that is bolted to the bow seat. Underneath the mast is a structural member that supports the downward forces that the mast and stays create. So now that the forward bulkhead is installed, I epoxied the mast step support into position. The center of the bulkhead was marked off. Then the support was test fitted. The lower aft corner had to be knocked off with a rasp in order to clear the fillet on the bulkhead. Once the support was centered, square and plumb, the position was marked. It was then removed and wood flour thickened epoxy was spread on the mating surfaces. The support was then put back in place, and a fillet was smoothed on either side. No masking tape this time, as this part won't be visible in the finished boat. The support stayed in place well, with no need for tape or other temporary bracing to hold it while the epoxy cures. Total hours 58.00.

Bulkhead fillets

2006-02-26T15:05:00.000-06:00

The DB trunk/mid seat unit was removed once again. A small pilot hole was drilled through the bottom to mark the DB slot location from the bottom exterior. Then a batch of peanut butter thickened epoxy was mixed up (the whole job ended up needing two batches, a total of 8 pumps from each epoxy dispenser). Using the Zip-loc "pastry bag" dispenser, a bead of epoxy was applied to the bottom face of the DB trunk, where it would contact the hull. The unit was then returned to its position using the felt tip marker orientation marks, and clamped in place. Then, a bead of epoxy was applied the junction of hull and bulkhead for all three parts. The resulting bead was shaped to a clean fillet with a tongue depressor, and excess carefully removed with a rag, or a clean edge of the tongue depressor. After the epoxy partially sets in a few hours, I'll go back to smooth things over, and remove the masking tape. Total hours 57.50.

Bulkhead masking

2006-02-26T09:29:00.000-06:00

On a chilly winter morning in central Alabama, a novice boatbuilder of Polish decent drank coffee from Sumatran beans as he worked on a boat of Norwegian, er, Swedish (make it Scandinavian) design made of mahogany grown in west Africa, milled in France to British quality standards, and cut in Maryland, all while watching a frantic gold medal Olympic hockey game played in Italy by teams from Finland and Sweden. Who says the world isn't interdependent?

After some scuff sanding yesterday at the positions for the bulkheads, I placed the three bulkheads in place for their permanent installation. Particular care was given to the center seat/daggerboard trunk unit to get the trunk aligned with the center line of the Passagemaker dinghy. Using an L-square, I laid down a strip of tape on the top surface of the center seat parallel to the centerline of the daggerboard trunk. This allowed me to align the unit with a string line running down the center of the hull. Fore and aft position was placed with measurements from the bow as specified in the instructions. The forward and aft bulkheads were placed in position with the help of the seat surfaces. Fitting the bulkhead "ears" through the slots in the seat, then positioning the seat with its respective transom put the bulkhead in position. The forward bulkhead angle relative to the bottom panel was adjusted with the help of the mast step support, which will be epoxied in place later. Since its angle with the bottom panel isn't 90 degrees, the stern bulkhead was adjusted to be roughly parallel to the stern transom. All three parts were clamped in place, and fit fairly well without further manipulation.

Then, along the joints that will soon be filleted with peanut butter epoxy, masking tape was laid down to keep a neat edge. I also made a few position marks with a felt tip marker to record the positions of the parts, in case anything gets shifted. In fact, the center unit will come out again so I can drill a small pilot hole to mark the interior of the DB trunk through to the exterior bottom hull. Also, epoxy will be applied to the surfaces of the DB trunk bottom, where they contact the hull. This joint will be one of the most critical to make strong and waterproof.

So, with the prep work done, it is time for a break. And another cup of coffee. Oh, and Sweden won the game, 3-2. Total hours 56.00.

Design lineage

2006-02-24T20:11:00.000-06:00

As mentioned at the start of this project, the Passagemaker dinghy design is inspired by a traditional Scandinavian sailing pram. Today I received a copy of the out-of-print Sailing Craft by Frank Rosenow. This literary study of Swedish working craft of the 30s and 40s depicts the lineage of the Passagemaker dinghy. A ubiquitous Swedish working boat, called an eka, is perhaps the father of the Passagemaker. The version that Rosenow describes is slightly bigger, at about 14 feet LOA. But the design influences are unmistakable, with the characteristic snub bow, and lapstrake hull. Some minor differences include the eka's raked stern transom, and a Marconi rig that contrasts with the sliding gunter rig of the Passagemaker. When my own copy of Passagemaker finally takes to water, I will have Rosenow's book to remind me of the rich history of its simple, elegant design.

Second interior coat

2006-02-23T20:31:00.000-06:00

The interior of the hull got its second and final overall coat of epoxy. The lesson of tonight is that lighting is important. After the first coat, things looked good. Then while I was glassing and assembling the daggerboard trunk, I used the excess epoxy to give some crevices and joints a little extra coverage. With a foam brush, I really worked the joints, forcing epoxy into any gaps or voids I could find. I was satisfied with the effort, until the next morning when I opened the shop (garage) door. In the sunlight were some drips and runs that I hadn't seen, even under the glare of my 1000-watt worklights. The lighting just wasn't at the right angle. I was crestfallen the rest of the day, thinking about the flaws in what I had thought was a superb job. So tonight, a few deft touches with a belt sanded and 120-grit paper made quick work of the drips. Then I was off and running on the second coat. This one finally filled the weave of the bottom glass, and sealed the lapstrake joints once and for all.

I'll take a well earned day off tomorrow to celebrate the week's end with my wife at our favorite pizza joint. Then this weekend comes the permanent installation of the bulkheads and daggerboard trunk/seat unit. Total Hours 54.50.

Inspection port install

2006-02-22T18:17:00.000-06:00

After the assembly of the center seat unit, I turned to the other two bulkheads that will soon be installed in the hull. Reasoning that it would be easier to install the deck plates in a flat piece of plywood, I broke out my hand jig saw. A circle was marked on each bulkhead by tracing around the edge of the deck plate cover. According to the instructions, cutting 1/8" outside this circle would provide the proper sized hole. It was much easier that I anticipated to make an accurate cut. The inspection port in the stern bulkhead was located in the center, while the forward one was moved to the right side to avoid later interference with the mast step support. On the first bulkhead, I drilled little pilot holes for the six screws that hold the port flange in place. This turned out to be unnecessary, as I discovered with the second plate that they were indeed self-tapping, as advertised. Some silicon caulk was applied around the flange before it was screwed down. The result was a nice, clean, watertight yet removable opening in the two flotation air chambers that will allow ventilation.

Since the job went quicker than I planned, I had time to lay the internal structure in the hull, just to test fit, and see how things will look. It is easy to imagine being out on the water under sail! Hopefully in a couple months. Total hours 53.50.

DB trunk fillet

2006-02-21T19:14:00.000-06:00

With about 6 ounces of wood flour-thickened epoxy, I laid a neat fillet on the joints of the daggerboard trunk/middle seat assembly. This was after unscrewing the DB trunk from the bulkhead where it had been test fitted yesterday. I drilled a small pilot hole through the seat where the channel of the trunk had been marked. This will serve as a marker later on when I open up the slot from the other side for the daggerboard. Peanut butter epoxy was then spread on the interface between the bulkhead and the trunk spacer, and on the top edges of the trunk, where they contact the underside of the seat. The trunk was then returned to its position, screwed back in place, and re-aligned. The epoxy fillet was then applied with the plastic "pastry bag" applicator method. A large radius tongue depressor was used to smooth and shape the fillets, and an alcohol-soaked rag was used to wipe up the few drips. Later on when the epoxy has partially cured, the fillets can be smoothed further. Total hours 53.00.

DB trunk mockup

2006-02-20T21:30:00.000-06:00

Continuing on with the construction of the center seat/daggerboard trunk assembly: After 24 hours of curing, the spacers were trimmed, and the mating edges of the daggerboard trunk were sanded flush. Then came the initial fitting and masking for the filleting of the whole unit.

Essentially, the daggerboard trunk is a hole in the bottom of the boat. Since the hole is sealed to a collar the rises from the hole higher than water level, buoyancy is not threatened. But this is perhaps one of the more critical steps in building a Passagemaker dinghy. The daggerboard trunk contains many joints, all of which must be absolutely waterproof. Also, since this is the slot that the daggerboard passes through, it must be plumb, square, and aligned with the centerline of the boat. So tonight was a trial run in assembling the trunk proper, the midships seat, and the center bulkhead all into one unit. Being careful to keep checking for squareness and plumb, I marked the final position of all the parts. Then, 1-1/4" bronze screws were countersunk through the bulkhead into the aft spacer of the trunk. When everything was finally aligned, the borders of the future epoxy fillets were masked with tape, to give clean edges. All is ready for the permanent epoxying of this unit. Total hours 52.25.

Survey says...

2006-02-19T22:39:00.000-06:00

Some insights from the Passagemaker dingy survey:

60% of respondents own a kit. Of those who don't yet own one, 50% plan to purchase one in the next year.
Among the present builders, 33% estimate they are within 60 days of completing their Passagemaker. A similar number are more than three months away from completion.
Estimates of building time vary: 16% believe they can complete their Passagemaker in 80 hours. 50% percent will take longer than 110 hours.
All respondents report that this is their first boatbuilding project. A majority, 63%, are self-taught. 25% claim some previous woodworking experience.
The largest collection of Passagemaker builders are on the East Coast- 44%. The Southeast is home to 22%, and the Midwest and west coast each have 11%. There is even a Passagemaker enthusiast in Alaska!
89% of owners intend to use their Passagemaker as a day sailer. 33% plan to fit an outboard motor, and 22% plan to use it as a tender to a larger vessel.
A majority of Passagemaker dinghy sailors (56%)will use their craft on inland water.

There was universal interest in the Passagemaker Dinghy Forum. If you haven't joined yet, why not register today?

Daggerboard trunk

2006-02-19T19:21:00.000-06:00

Tonight I only had time to assemble the daggerboard trunk. A quick sanding on the edges smoothed the mating surfaces for the spacers. Then I mixed up some unthickened epoxy and gave the interior surfaces another coat to fill the weave of the fiberglass. The remaining epoxy I thickened with Cabosil, and spread it on the mating surfaces of both panels. The spacers were put in place, and sandwiched between the panels. It was surprisingly difficult to align everything when the clamps were put on. All the pieces slipped and slided, until the majority of epoxy was finally squeezed out. I then gave the parts one more alignment, shifting clamps as I went. After I brushed off most of the excess epoxy, I brought the part in the house to cure in the warmer air. Total time 51.25.

Interior sealing

2006-02-18T15:21:00.000-06:00

As a miserable, cold rain fell outside, and Team USA struggled against Slovakia in Men's Olympic Hockey, I put the first of two overall coats of epoxy on the interior hull. Even though the strakes had been previously coated or fiberglassed, this overall coat of unthickened epoxy served to seal the inter-strake joints, as well as to fill the weave of the fiberglass on the bottom panels. But first, I spent some time to give a final sanding to the stitch holes that I had previously plugged. This involved sanding the plugged holes, and also the edge of the fiberglass, which although carefully trimmed, was a little ragged in spots. After the prep sanding, I then had to spend time vacuuming and wiping down the surfaces which had become extremely dusty. (Which reminds me, can anyone recommend a good shop vac?) After the cleanup, I applied a coat of epoxy to the entire hull interior, giving special attention to the strake joints. I found that placing the foam roller lengthwise along the joint and pressing would squeeze some epoxy into the joint. Then rolling gently over it would give a smooth finish.

I also glassed the interior surfaces of the daggerboard trunk. This was the first modification to the build instructions that I have made; it was suggested to me that this would be a good use of fiberglass cloth scraps that I have accumulated. So I applied the cloth and saturated with epoxy, then I quickly trimmed the edges using a straight edge, and removed the glass cloth where the trunk spacers will be. With a putty knife, I scraped the epoxy from the spacer surfaces, so as to have a clean mating surface. When the epoxy gels, I'll trim the cloth overhang. Total hours 50.75.

Passagemaker Dinghy forum

2006-02-16T06:35:00.000-06:00

Results have started to come in for the survey mentioned below. I'll continue to let that run for a while to accumulate more data. But one thing is clear- there is interest in a Passagemaker forum. So without further ado, the Passagemaker Dinghy owners/builders forum is now open. Be the first on your block to register! Things may go slowly at first, but continue to check in. As the community of Passagemaker sailors grows, I'm confident that the board will become a great place to meet with other Passagemaker makers!

Band of Brothers?

2006-02-15T05:32:00.000-06:00

I received a kind e-mail yesterday from a fellow Passagemaker builder. This has happened occasionally, and with increasing frequency. Whether nearly finished, just starting, or merely considering a Passagemaker building project, I enjoy hearing from all Passagemaker builder/owners out there, and trading information with them. I have begun to toy with the idea of setting up an internet forum devoted to Passagemaker dinghy owners. My model would be something like this forum devoted to owners of the Skerry, another of Chesapeake Light Craft's products. Being a curious scientific type, I'd like to know a little more about the Passagemaker owners out there. So I've designed a quick, 10-question survey to gain some insight on what I assume is a growing band of Passagemaker brothers. And sisters. Please take a brief moment to answer the survey. If there is enough interest, perhaps I can set up the forum in the near future. . Click here to take survey Once a useful number of responses are collected, I'll report back with some data.

Interior hole plug

2006-02-13T21:03:00.000-06:00

Ahead of epoxy coating the now-glassed interior, stitch holes had to be plugged. I mixed up a small batch of epoxy, and thickened it with wood flour to a peanut butter consistency. The instruction book calls for applying a small dot of epoxy to each stitch hole, using the plastic "piping bag" method. Instead, I opted for a medium size plastic syringe, of which I have collected several from fried turkey marinade containers. The loaded 30 mL syringe made a great dispenser, and I was able to quickly lay a tiny drop on each stitch hole. A quick swipe with a metal putty knife smoothed everything off, ready for the overall coat of epoxy to come. Total hours 47.75.

Leather man

2006-02-12T10:48:00.000-06:00

This morning, I summoned the enthusiasm to stitch the leather onto my second oar. The first oar was a tedious job, but with experience, the second one went much easier. One secret I found was to poke holes of sufficient size in the leather. I used a little brass brad the first time, and the hole it left was too small to pass the sail needle through. This time I used a slightly bigger nail to poke holes, and the job went much easier. I also learned from the first oar about measuring and cutting the bevel for the button (the leather collar at the end of the leather which retains the oarlock). Measuring length and cutting the bevel on a flat button leather will result in a piece that is too short once wrapped around the oar. My second attempt was much better. In the photo above, the button is being held in place temporarily while the contact cement cures. The Passagemaker dinghy isn't the only thing that employs "stitch and glue" technique! One final note- a pet cat in the vicinity slows down the stitching process. Dangling Dacron threads and needles proved an irresistible plaything to our cat, Reuben, while I was trying to work.

A uniter, not a divider

2006-02-08T21:27:00.000-06:00

The agenda for this evening was to assemble various parts in preparation for future use. So, with a batch of Cabosil-thickened epoxy mixed up, I set to the task of gluing and clamping. First was the mast coupler. The mast is made of two sections of aluminum pipe stock, joined by a coupler segment that fits tightly inside. Since this joint is not in the center of the mast, it raised the question (in the absence of any guidance from the instruction book) of whether the short segment should be at the top or the bottom of the mast. With all the engineering knowledge (1 semester of Intro to Civil Engineering, US Coast Guard Academy, 1984) and reasoning ability at my disposal, I arrived at the conclusion: it probably doesn't matter. But with the theory that placing the joint low would lower the lever arm of the infinitesimal weight of the coupler, I epoxied the coupler halfway into the longer mast segment. Then, as I epoxied the masthead plug into the other end of that same piece of pipe, I sealed my fate, as it were.

I went on to glue together the mainsail boom. This yard ends up having a T-shaped cross section as the two pieces of Cypress lumber are joined. A third piece of milled plywood is attached to the end to form a fork, which will ride against the mast- a simplistic boom gooseneck.

Next came the daggerboard handles, which are layers of cut plywood on either side of the large plywood daggerboard. These will later be shaped with a router for a nice smooth finish.

Finally, as my Cabosil-epoxy and clamps ran low, I joined the two thicknesses of plywood that make up the skeg. This fin-like structure will later be attached to the underside of the hull, giving some directional stability, protection during beaching, and a hand-hold when handling the boat out of water. Total hours 47.00.

Interior fillets and glass

2006-02-05T15:26:00.000-06:00

Just ahead of a possible rare snowfall in the Birmingham area, I finished the job of glassing the interior of the boat. The first step was to apply a fillet of wood flour-thickened epoxy to the joint between the bottom panel and the first strake. This filled the gap that existed in some spots, and also created a smooth radius to accommodate the glass cloth. This had to be done carefully and neatly, since it will be visible underneath the cloth and the bright (varnished) finish that will be used in the interior. With the fillet freshly applied, the cloth was laid over the bottom and first side panel and wrinkles were smoothed. At the beam, the cloth is just wide enough to cover. At this point, the unthickened epoxy was mixed, poured, and carefully spread and worked into the cloth. Wrinkles and bubbles were worked out, and the result was satisfactory. I found that I had to keep a watchful eye especially on the joints and stitch holes, as new air bubbles kept appearing underneath the cloth. These are easily removed, but more kept appearing for an hour or so before everything became saturated. In a couple of hours, the epoxy will reach gel stage, and the excess cloth can be trimmed off, as before on the exterior. The third photo below below shows a closer view of the fillet and glassed bottom. For a novice, a decent job. Total hours 46.25.

Interior glass prep

2006-02-04T17:11:00.000-06:00

Once back from a morning in the lab, I turned to the task of preparing for glassing the interior. As for the exterior, this involved some sanding. Actually, considerable sanding, in order to clean up some drips of epoxy that had worked through the stitch holes from the exterior. Also, I hadn't yet sanded the scarf joint on the center panel, so that got smoothed out. Once the bottom panel and first strake were clean and ready for glassing, I vacuumed out the interior (I have got to get a shop vac). Then the joint between the first and second strake was masked with packing tape to protect from epoxy overruns.
I also prepared some other parts for tomorrow. With any leftover epoxy from the glassing operation, I can glass the interior of the daggerboard trunk. Since I had already coated these parts with epoxy, I sanded in down and left a rough finished surface. I trimmed some glass cloth scraps to size. I plan to lay the cloth on the parts, then when the epoxy has reached gel stage, I'll use the daggerboard spacers as a template to trim the edges. Thus, the glass will only be on the interior trunk face, while the overall dimensions of the assembled trunk won't be increased by the thickness of the glass. I also have on hand some other parts, ready to be assembled with excess epoxy. Mainsail boom, mast joint and masthead cap, daggerboard handle, and skeg are ready to go.
Finally, I checked out the sails: 77 square feet of Dacron (?) cloth, complete with grommets, telltales, and battens. They look great- I can't wait to try them out! Total hours 44.00.

Updates soon

2006-02-04T09:42:00.000-06:00

Stay tuned- boat updates will continue later today. After finishing up a science manuscript, and a couple of hours of work yet to be done in the lab this morning, I will finally be able to return in earnest to boatbuilding. Later today I will post pictures of the sails, which arrived yesterday. Seems I jumped the gun a bit, saying they were made in Maine. It turns out this set was made by Douglas Fowler Sailmaker of Ithaca, NY. Though it's a bit disappointing not having that psychic tie to Maine, they look to be fine sails.

Viral titer assays await! More later today.

Delays

2006-02-02T06:15:00.000-06:00

No boat work last night, and I am really getting anxious to get back to it. But employment calls. I've been occupied most evenings this week preparing a manuscript for publication. Look for it on newsstands near you! DNA repair favoring minus-strand accounts for maintenance of alternative primer binding sites following limited replication of HIV-1, by Peter G. Eipers and Casey D. Morrow. Should be a best seller...

State of the Dinghy

2006-01-31T20:34:00.000-06:00

My fellow boat enthusiasts: tonight I can report that the state of the dinghy is good. With Kathy's help, the boat was flipped back over. The stitches holding the bulkheads in place were removed. Then the bulkheads were removed. Eventually. Despite my best efforts and care to wipe up drips of epoxy that worked their way through the lapstrake joints, one drip managed to wick its way through right at the location of the forward bulkhead. This one required a bit of "persuasion" to remove even after the stitches were snipped. This left a small chip that snapped out of the top layer of the plywood of one of the strakes. It can be epoxied back in place, and will be hidden in the forward buoyancy air chamber, so not too much damage was done, I think. The rest of my time was spent test fitting and planning out my next step. The glassing of the interior must be done in one continuous job that includes laying a fillet along the bottom joint, then laying the layer of glass as before. This is a long enough job for me to keep until the weekend when I have enough time to not rush it. For the rest of this week, there are little jobs of assembling various parts. For instance, I will epoxy the daggerboard trunk together, handles on the daggerboard, mainsail boom, etc. Over on the CLC Builders Forum, it was suggested that I glass the interior of the daggerboard trunk. This will be a wood surface in contact with water whenever the boat is in the water, yet once assembled it will be inaccessible. I think it's an excellent idea to make it as durable as possible, so I will go ahead and glass the trunk interior. All the parts are laid out and waiting for assembly tomorrow. Total hours 41.75.

Sail Ahoy!

2006-01-31T16:13:00.000-06:00

I've just learned that a package is headed my way via UPS from Chesapeake Light Craft, which can only mean that my sails have been made, and will arrive Friday. Very exciting! I was also thrilled to find out this weekend that the sails are made by Bohndell, a company located in midcoast Maine. Apart from being fine sails, they will provide my boat with a tangible connection to one of my favorite regions of the country. Indeed, over the past two years, Kathy and I have traveled to midcoast Maine no less than three times (and four times in the last seven). Among my many waiting projects is to edit the video footage from our most recent trip (you can view a sneak peek here). With my boat's sails and oars, we tap into the fine wooden boat building tradition that can be found in Maine to this day. While I putter along, building my humble craft, I think about our recent trip to Camden, and boat builders such as William Cannell, a wooden boat building company responsible for absolutely beautiful boat restorations and new construction. Through the efforts of this company, and many others in New England, the proud tradition of wooden boats remains alive and well. It also gives an anonymous first-time boatbuilder in central Alabama plenty of material for daydreams!

Oars and ends

2006-01-29T15:53:00.000-06:00

Today was a hodgepodge of activities. I began the morning lacing the leathers on the new oars I received recently. The lacing process was made more difficult by very confusing directions that came with the oar leather "kit". For instance, measuring distances from the "top" of the oar begs the question, "Which end is the top?" It is also unhelpful to say the seam should lie "parallel" to the blade, since a seam in any position around the 360 degrees of the loom (or shaft) of the oar could be said to be parallel. But finally, after cutting the leather to size, meticulously marking and punching holes, and laboriously stitching the leather around the oar, I was satisfied with the result. After about two hour work (which I won't count against the boat building total) I completed one oar.

I then went outside to enjoy another sunny warm midwinter day. Today's task was to trim the strakes at each transom. With careful use of a Japanese (flush cut) saw, and a belt sander with 80-grit paper, the strake overhangs were brought flush with the transoms. Further sanding with 120-grit paper in an orbital palm sander finished the ends nicely. There are a couple of small gaps between the strakes and the transoms that will need to be filled in with thickened epoxy. But all is ready for the next step; the glassing of the interior. Total hours 41.00.

Post glass trimming

2006-01-26T21:29:00.000-06:00

With the fiberglass partially cured, the excess glass cloth was trimmed away. I was fairly happy with the result. There are a couple of tiny bubbles along the edge at the lapstrake joint where air seeped back under the glass, despite my best attempts to work it all out. But these are very small, and in a place where additional layers of epoxy and then paint will cover them well. But overall, I was happy with my first attempt at glassing. In the future, additional coats of epoxy will be applied to the hull to "fill the weave" of the glass cloth. After the trimming, I am left with some long strips of glass cloth, and it seems a shame to discard them. I suppose some can be saved for patches and repairs that might be needed in the future. The idea also occurred to me to glass the leading and bottom edge of the daggerboard, to protect it from possible grounding damage. But the problem with that may be making the part too thick to fit in the daggerboard trunk. Also, it might be hard to fair the glass into the shape of the daggerboard for a smooth hydrodynamic shape. I think I just came up with another question for the experts on the CLC builders forum!

The next step is to trim and finish the transoms, before flipping the boat over for some interior glassing. But that will have to wait for this weekend. Tonight is spent on household chores, and tomorrow, Kathy and I attend an Alabama Symphony concert in honor of Mozart's 250th birthday. Happy birthday, Wolfie!

Bottom glassing

2006-01-25T20:44:00.000-06:00

At long last, tonight it was time for the bottom glassing. As this was my first time working with fiberglass, I approached the job with a little apprehension. But things went smoothly. Unthickened expoxy was mixed, and liberally dumped on the sheet of glass cloth that had been smoothed over the bottom panel. This panel, by the way, is probably one of the easier surfaces for a first time glasser to do: it has a gentle, horizontal concave curve where gravity helps to keep everything in place. The epoxy gradually wets out the cloth, soaking it and adhereing it to the wood panel, while at the same time becoming amazingly clear. A rubber spatula helps to spread the epoxy, smooth out wrinkles and air bubbles, and remove excess epoxy. The result was an exterior bottom panel that will ultimately be glassed on the exterior and interior surfaces, giving structural strength and abrasion resistance to the hull. The instruction manual calls for a wait of a few hours for the epoxy to reach "gel" stage, at which time excess cloth can be trimmed off. However, colder weather has returned to the area, and even with a space heater under the hull, the curing will be a slow process. Trimming will probably have to wait until tomorrow morning. Total hours 40.75.

Glassing prep

2006-01-24T21:17:00.000-06:00

With my increasingly busy schedule, time management is important to allow reasonable boatbuilding progress. After a commute home that is slower and more frustrating every day (a disadvantage of living in the fastest growing county in the state), a return to a workout regimen, a quick dinner, and some household administration, perhaps an hour or so is left every evening to further the Passagemaker dinghy boatbuilding. Now that the next step of glassing the hull has arrived, I needed to finish some prep work tonight in order to complete the glassing in one evening. First was a return to the tedious job of sanding. Filled stitch holes, stray drips of epoxy, and previously unsanded bottom panel scarf joints needed to be tended to. Since only the bottom panel is glassed on the exterior, the adjacent #1 strakes needed to be sanded smooth so they could be masked with tape. This prep work took the better part of tonight's effort. And while doing it, I was reminded of an old TV commercial. Readers of a certain age might remember the sudafed commercial that featured Apollo astronaut Wally Schirra. While holding up a space suit helmet he asks, "Ever sneeze in one of these?" I seem to have acquired a mid-winter sniffle, and my nose continued to drip inside my respirator as I sanded.

After the sanding, I masked of the border of the bottom panel to prevent epoxy runover tomorrow. I then test fitted the fiberglass cloth, and it turned out to be a simple matter to lay it over the hull and smooth out the wrinkles. The cloth is a very loose weave, and is easily smoothed, with only a little care required to avoid snags and runs on the few remaining stitches that hold the bulkheads in place for now. Thus, all is in readiness for tomorrow. If I get an early enough start, I can apply the epoxy to the glass cloth (which will make it clear) and let it partially cure so that late in the evening, I can trim the cloth to its correct dimensions and remove the masking tape. That's the plan, anyway. Total hours 39.75.

Plugged stitch holes

2006-01-22T15:11:00.000-06:00

With shop temps pegged at 70 degrees again today, I set about to plug the holes left from the removed stitches. For each of the nearly 300 stitches that had held the hull together, there were two holes, so that meant a lot of plugging. Fortunately, it was fairly quick work. With the Steelers game playing in the background, I mixed up a small amount of wood flour thickened epoxy and filled each hole with a metal putty knife. At this point, the boat is at a milestone of sorts. Except for a few remaining stitches temporarily holding in bulkheads, the hull for the first time is essentially watertight. It would actually float-- at least for a while. A pleasant thought... I guess that reflects progress. Total hours 38.25.

Joint filling

2006-01-21T15:59:00.000-06:00

With all the stitches removed from the hull (except those temporarily holding the bulkheads in place) it was time to return to the joints between the strakes. The LapStitch joints were fully filled with cabo-sil thickened epoxy, and areas where the stitches had been were filled in. Smoothing things off with a rubber spatula from an auto body shop was the method I used to make things as neat as possible. It was a humid 65 degrees in central Alabama today, and near 70 degrees in the shop, so the epoxy set up fairly fast. Near the end of an hour or so of smoothing, I found the epoxy getting hard to work with. But with the joints all reasonably well filled in and neat, I went over the hull with an alcohol soaked rag to wipe up drips and smears, as well as a couple of drips into the interior of the hull where epoxy had been forced through some of the stitch holes. Total hours 37.00.

Stitch pulling

2006-01-19T21:16:00.000-06:00

About 300 stitches got yanked out of the hull, undoing the work that took me nearly a week. The boat is now held together only by epoxy at the joints, and has already gained a good bit of rigidity. That will only increase as the glue joints are completely filled, and then the Fiberglas is applied. But for now, the copper wire stitches litter my shop floor, waiting to be swept up. The hundreds of little holes will also have to be filled; plenty of tasks lay ahead this weekend.

FedEx left me a package today: A beautiful pair of oars arrived from Shaw & Tenney of Orono, Maine. This is a pair of spoon blade oars, made of spruce with a blade-tip inlay of cherry hardwood. I also ordered the oar leather kit, which protects the wood where it will contact the bronze oarlocks. Lacing on the leathers is another task to add to the boatbuilding tasks. I am really impressed with the workmanship and finish of the oars; they give me a goal to strive for in finishing the boat. If I fall a little short, at least it will be understandable. After all, this is my first boatbuilding project. Shaw & Tenney have been in business since 1858! Total hours 35.50.

Seam sealing part II

2006-01-16T17:42:00.000-06:00

I finished up the last of the seams that didn't get done yesterday before the football game. I needn't have hurried; the Bears lost. In fact, the game was so disappointing that in the second half, we put in a rental movie, Red, and enjoyed it very much. So today I finished up the first epoxy injection of the remaining joints, including the #1 panels/bottom panel joints- the hardest to reach and to get epoxy into. Tomorrow I can start removing the hundreds of stitches that have been holding the hull together until now. Total hours, 35.25.

Sealing seams

2006-01-15T15:29:00.000-06:00

After spending about an hour tightening the stitches in the hull, it was time to seal the joints between the strakes with epoxy. Whether it was some shifting of parts after flipping the hull, or stretching of the copper wire from stress, I found that many of the stitches were loose. My biggest concern was that loose joints would allow epoxy to drip through to the interior, making a big mess that would take lots of sanding to fix. So after about an hour going over each of the hundreds of stitches in the hull and tightening many, it was ready for the glue. (It is a stitch-'n-glue boat, after all.) I mixed up a batch of Cabo-sil-thickened epoxy and transferred it to my zip-lock bag injector. This session would just tack the strakes together between the stitches. Later the stitches are removed and the seams are then fully filled. I found it easiest to get the epoxy properly deep into the joint in the second and third joints. Here the chines are hardest, and there is plenty of room to work. The joint between the #1 strake and the bottom panel was the hardest to fill, since it is a very narrow angle as well as being the highest- just barely in reach as the boat sits on the sawhorses. In order to keep the temperature within curing range, I placed my space heater under the hull so it would trap a bubble of warm air which will hopefully radiate through the wood to the epoxy. The temp in the shop was about 53 degrees, while the air in the hull was 72 degrees. I was able to get nearly all of the seams done before it was time for the Bears game. So, more tomorrow. Go Bears!! Total hours 34.50.

Hull Flip

2006-01-14T17:01:00.000-06:00

With Kathy's help, the hull shell was flipped over. I removed the plywood sheet on the sawhorses that was serving as my work bench. Now the boat is supported by boards on the sawhorses, allowing access to the interior as I work on the exterior. The rest of the afternoon was spent reorganizing and cleaning up the shop. Tomorrow, the epoxy-ing of the strakes!

Sail Kit

2006-01-14T15:51:00.000-06:00

While I struggle with an intermittent internet connection today (it's rather windy, and Charter Cable being the worthless entity it is, can't seem to maintain a connection in a breeze) I unpacked the Passagemaker dinghy sail kit that arrived this week. A wonderful Christmas gift from my dear mother, the kit contains all the hardware to turn the Passagemaker dinghy into a sailboat. Somewhere in transit, the plastic bag holding the tiny metal parts got ripped, so some of the hardware was loose in the packing box. I gathered it all up, and I think nothing was lost, but I'll check it against the packing list soon. The actual sails have been back ordered for 1-2 weeks. No matter, I am still a couple of months away from sailing. But I will be eager to actually see them when they arrive.

Now, on to the turning of the hull, in preparation of sealing the strakes.

Stern bulkhead

2006-01-12T20:38:00.000-06:00

The stern bulkhead was stitched into place tonight, with considerably less difficulty than the middle one last night. This completes the stitching for a while. With a three day holiday weekend ahead, I will be flipping the hull over. Thickened epoxy will be applied to the joints between all the strakes to seal up the hull. Then the wire stitches can be removed, and the tiny holes can be sealed up. After all, no boat floats for very long with hundreds of little holes in it. Following the removal of the stitches, the bottom is glassed. That will be a whole new experience. Total hours 32.50.

Middle Bulkhead

2006-01-11T20:18:00.000-06:00

Tonight I wired in the middle bulkhead. This was more of a job than the bow bulkhead yesterday. The port side strakes didn't want to form up tightly to the shape of the bulkhead, and several extra stitches and some muscle was needed for a good fit on that side. But several broken stitches later, things seem pretty close to being in place. Some further tuning might be needed before I start sealing the joints between the strakes this weekend. Total hours 31.75.

Foam

2006-01-11T09:39:00.000-06:00

A writer asks about filling the bow and stern air chambers with foam. The instruction manual addresses this question by saying that this is not recommended. The concern is trapping moisture in the foam and doing damage to the wood. John C. Harris from Chesapeake Light Crafts wrote in an earlier comment on this blog:

You're not quite to that stage yet, but the only spots to obsess over epoxy coverage is on the inside of the air compartments. Moisture--and it can just be water vapor--in those compartments has an insidious way of staining wood. Passagemaker #2, which is in our showroom, has been used very hard this year and shows some small interior stains, probably because there were tiny pinholes in the epoxy coating.

CLC also sells nifty deck plates, which provide a watertight but removable entry into a sealed air chamber. They aren't part of the Passagemaker kit, but I am probably going to get a couple for my boat. They would provide access to the chambers for storage of small items while sailing, and also provide a means of ventilation for a less than perfectly constructed boat that a first-timer like myself is likely to end up with. On my boat (as opposed to the take-apart version) the deck plates would be installed in the fore and aft bulkhead at the centerline of the boat.

Bow Bulkhead

2006-01-10T20:33:00.000-06:00

The next step in boat construction is to add some internal structure. The three bulkheads will give the hull more of the proper shape, and ultimately provide hull strength, supports for seating, and in the case of the bow and stern bulkheads, sealed air chambers for buoyancy. However, at this point, the bulkheads are wired in place, but not epoxied. For now, they only provide shape and rigidity while the hull is flipped over for glassing the exterior. Measuring the position of the bulkheads and getting them relatively plumb was more of a job than I expected for a solo builder. An extra pairs of hands would have helped. But I was able to position the bow bulkhead and stitch it into place. The mid and stern are only roughly placed for the photo; they will be stitched later this week. The overall layout of the boat comes a little closer into view with this internal structure in place. Total hours 30.75.

Stitch removal

2006-01-09T19:49:00.000-06:00

As a child, I had more than my share of injuries and stitches. In fact, so experienced was I in the whole process that as a poor graduate student, I removed stitches after a mountain bike mishap from my chin myself, rather than return to the doctor for another visit for which I had no insurance. That experience came into play as I pulled the stitches from the transoms after two days of curing the epoxy "tack welds." They came out readily, and I didn't have to resort to the instruction book's trick of heating stubborn wires with a butane lighter to help remove any stuck in epoxy. Then with the transoms free of wires, I applied a neat fillet along the entire periphery of the joint. In a couple of hours, the semi-set fillet can be further smoothed with a latex gloved finger to make a nice smooth surface. Total hours 29.75.

Peanut butter

2006-01-07T16:31:00.000-06:00

Recently at a dinner party, I spoke at length with someone in the peanut business. Peanuts being an indigenous crop of the South, and one of my favorite snacks, I took the opportunity to pepper the hapless businessman with question after question. I came away knowing all that there is to know about the growing, harvesting, and processing of peanuts. Well, more than I knew when I started, anyway. I was reminded of that night as I worked for the first time with "peanut butter" epoxy.

But first, the transoms were stitched in place. The instruction book mentions that a builder should expect to break a few wires getting the pieces into place. And despite a flawless start, I did indeed snap a few wire stitches before I was done. The most difficult part of the installation, it seems, comes at the end, when the last little bit is being aligned and pushed into place. This is where the parts sometimes need a little "persuasion" to make all the joints snug, and coincidentally this is when the tension on the wires is at the highest. But after some effort, all the joints looked snug and correctly aligned. So then it was time for the peanut butter.

For the joining of two parts at a right angle, the standard epoxy mix is thickened with "wood flour", or very fine sawdust. The final consistency needed is that of peanut butter, which allows the epoxy to be applied in beads which fill the joints and won't run before it cures. I followed the tip from the book, and put the thickened epoxy into a plastic bag with one corner snipped off. This allowed it to be handled like a pastry piping bag- something with which I am familiar. So a short bead was applied to the transoms between the wire stitches to "tack weld" the parts in place. After curing, the wires can be removed, and the joints are filled in with a neat bead, or fillet. Total hours 29.00.